The document outlines objectives and features of the National Agricultural Policy (NAP) 2000, which aimed to establish an appropriate environment to achieve higher agricultural growth in India. The key objectives of NAP 2000 included achieving a growth rate of over 4% annually through structural changes, reforms, efficient resource use, and market orientation. Features included encouraging private participation, competitiveness through liberalization, tax reforms, futures markets, infrastructure development, and credit/insurance expansion to transform agriculture into a modern and productive sector. An evaluation found growth rates increased but small farmers were neglected and infrastructure remained poor.

1. TO ESTABLISH AN APPROPRIATE & CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER GROWTH RATE OF AGRICULTURE 28 th July 2000

3. FEATURES OF NAP 2000 Encouragement to private participation: contract farming, capital inflows, tech. transfer Competitiveness: through liberalization, dismantling of Quantitative Restrictions Tax Reforms: tax concessions rather than subsidies Encourage Futures for hedging the risk Protection from multinationals’ patent rights Infrastructure facilities Plans to evolve, ’National Livestock Breeding Strategy’. Improvement in Credit facilities Wider coverage of Insurance Transform agriculture into modern, dynamic, productive sector (2002 policy)

4. EVALUATION Growth Rate: 2001-06 – 3%, 2005-09 – 3.8% Small & Marginal farmers are neglected Private investment (82.4% in 2008-09) may lead to exploitation Non institutional credit is still persistent Poor rural infrastructure

5. National Commission on Farmers: Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, chairman : aims at improving agricultural assets of the farmers & the supporting services to enable them to earn more. Reports in 2005-06