By IANS
Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Friday expressed support for access of foreign companies in the agricultural retail sector though a major constituent of his Left Front government bitterly opposes such a policy.
At the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Bhattacharjee said despite certain antagonism from different sections of the people, West Bengal should move forward with new market mechanisms and retail development.
“If we want new market mechanism, we should allow foreign houses into the agricultural retailing sector. We have to switch over from the conventional market to a new type of agricultural retailing market,” Bhattacharjee told reporters here at the 153rd AGM of BCCI.
“There is a controversy going on over the foreign investment in the agricultural retail trade in West Bengal. In fact I am also opposing this sometimes,” he said.
“But if we want to consolidate our agricultural market with increasing production rate, we have to take up new policies slowly and cautiously,” Bhattacharjee said.
He said that the West Bengal government has formed an agricultural committee in the state with leading scientists to focus on developing a market mechanism, agricultural production rate and vegetable production.
The Left Front government in West Bengal, which is led by Bhattacharjee’s Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), is facing stiff resistance from partner Forward Bloc (FB) on allowing the entry of big international and domestic retail players in the state’s agro-retailing market.
The proposal of Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL) for entry into the agricultural retail sector in West Bengal has created a rift between a reformist Bhattacharjee and the FB, which has the second highest number of seats in the state assembly after CPI-M.
Bhattacharjee said the state government has also made suggestions to the Planning Commission to strengthen self-sufficiency in food grains and increase national agricultural growth to four percent during the 11th plan.
“West Bengal is also targeting to achieve nine percent growth in the state domestic product (SDP) this year. It has already achieved four percent growth in agricultural production,” Bhattacharjee said.