increase their productivity. These cooperative societies are used for transportation of these inputs to the farmers.
Then processing. Now, after the production is there, we need something to do with the production which is generated. So, we are trying to have food processing units near the villages so that the marketing of the produce is possible and the processing units are able to give employment to the rural people.
Then we are trying to encourage export promotion so that the farmer takes interest in his produce, and he can produce more and he can get income out of the exports.
Then we have the system of remunerative prices for each and every item whether it is beef or rice or pulses. We have a fixed minimum support price every year. So the farmer is assured that whatever he spends in the field, he will get, at least, some profit per winter on their production. So that minimum support price is reviewed every year to take into account the cost of production.
Then (inaudible) industry. We are trying to give as much benefits to agriculture as are available to industry. But at the same time, we are saying that, in context of tax penalties which are there for the industry, they are not put on the farmer. So, the farmer will get the industrial benefit without these disadvantages.
Then other testing areas are the involvement of the lead institutions in agricultural development, an Increase of agriculture potential and land reforms. So these are testing areas for us.
I would only like to mention that we are only concerned with the food production in the agriculture department. They have many outlets all over the country. There are about one million outlets all over the country, and even in village areas. And there are mobile vans also where food grains are taken to villages and people can get those food grains at con-trolled prices. And if they buy from market, it will be costly. So we try to give them at marked down, controlled prices. So we have sufficient reserves of food grains. Our target was to raise 1 6 million tons of food grains reserve but at present we are having 32 million tons of food grains. So there are sufficient reserves available today and if there is a lean year, we are able to take care of the problem.
So I end, thank you. (Applause.)
THE CHAIRPERSON (MR. SHIV KHARE):
Thank you, Mr. Chadha for giving a real insight of the Indian agriculture situation. May I now request very quickly Dr. Kawano to speak?
