8.18         ndian     onom
     state/UT governments to provide better health          together with the challenge of enabling Indians
     care through polyclinics/veterinary hospitals/         to procure food for their consumption was also
     dispensaries/ first-aid centres including mobile       there. Over the year, we see the government
     veterinary dispensaries. For the prevention of         devising various ways and means to handle the
     various diseases, 27 veterinary vaccine production     twin challenges. Once, the country joined the
     units are working with dominance of the public         WTO, a new need was felt for producing surplus
     sector (20 are in the public sector and rest in the    and competing with the world, so that the
     private sector). The ‘Livestock Health & Disease       benefits of globalisation could also be reaped by
     Control’ is being run as a centrally sponsored         the agriculture sector. This section discusses the
     scheme to assist the attempts of the states and UTs    challenges to management of food in the country.
     in the area.
           Suggestions for further development of the       minimum suPPort Price
     sector.                                                Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of
           (i) Developing progeny tested semen for          market intervention by the Government of India to
               artificial insemination.                     insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall
          (ii) Expansion of fodder availability through     in farm prices —a guarantee price to save farmers
               innovative means.                            from distress sale. The MSPs are announced at
        (iii) Facilities of animal health centres need      the beginning of the sowing season for certain
               to be upgraded and the disease control       crops on the basis of the recommendations of
               systems made more effective on the           the Commission for Agricultural Costs and
               veterinary side.                             Prices (CACP, 1985). The major objectives are
         (iv) In the drylands and mountain ecosystems,      to support the farmers from distress sales and to
               livestock contribute anywhere between        procure food grains for public distribution. In case
               50 to 75 per cent of the total household     the market price for the commodity falls below
               income of the rural population. Support      the announced minimum price due to bumper
               to these massive and highly diverse          production and glut in the market, government
               livestock populations in these regions is    agencies purchase the entire quantity offered by
               lacking.                                     the farmers at the announced minimum price.
          (v) Raising the capability of the rural poor           Commencing with ‘wheat’ for the 1966–67,
               to conserve and manage their livestock       currently the MSPs are announced for 24
               resources, and enables them to derive        commodities including seven cereals (paddy,
               sustainable incomes from these resources.    wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi); five
         (vi) Decentralisation and convergence of           pulses (gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil);
               policy support for these options is crucial  eight oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed/mustard,
               for        diversification of livelihoods in toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum,
               small-holder farming.                        safflower seed and nigerseed); copra, raw cotton,
                                                            raw jute and virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco.
        Food mAnAGement                                     The MSPs are fixed at incentive level, to fulfil the
     Managing enough food in the domestic market            following purposes:
     has been the prime focus of the governement since           (i) to induce more investment by farmers in
     Independence. Meeting the physical target of food               the farm sector,