Foreword

by Suresh Kotak

Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, was the most illustrious
political economist of all times. He ranked agriculture, cattle
rearing and commerce as the three constituents of the economy.
He mandated that the state should invest in virgin lands, dams,
tanks and irrigation. His prescriptions on every aspect of life
including agriculture had elements of modern management,
though not described in the language of management we know
today.

The Artha Shastri Prime Minister of our times, Dr.
Manmohan Singh, places equal emphasis on doubling the
agricultural growth rate during the Eleventh Plan period. He
has advocated an integrated management of agriculture
including water resources, dry-land farming, extension, seeds
and inputs, credit, marketing, diversification, land reforms etc.
Agricultural growth will make a major impact on income and
quality of employment in rural areas.

In God we trust, everybody else brings data to the table
says, Narayanamurthy. This book brings data and the economic
pragmatism to the fore. The administrative mindset has to
become managerial. In other words, for progress, the
Government in all its forms has to encourage entrepreneurship,
the real strength of India from time immemorial. Greg Chappel

in a different context talked about the “comfort” of zero-accountability in India. A managerial approach to agri-businesscan acts against this comfort.

Dr. Balakrishnan has completed a pioneering and

painstaking research study on what will lead to agricultural

prosperity. His arguments in favour of a managerial approach

to the agricultural value chain, mainstreaming agriculture

through win-win non-exploitative networks, progressive

policies to support farmers, public private partnership, supply

chain credit, exploitation of global opportunities as in cotton,

use of information and biotechnologies, organic practices,

contract farming etc. make a powerful appeal. His concern on

not imposing entrepreneurial risks on the farmers is insightful.

His citations both from international and Indian experience

are contextual. I consider his book a compelling reference to

the policy makers, corporates, rural financiers and students of

management and agriculture alike.

I have no hesitation in endorsing his optimism that the

supply chain concept developed in the book would positively

impact rural employment and mitigate poverty.

I am happy that the IMC ERTF has associated itself with

this path breaking work. In this Centenary year of the IMC,

the IMC ERTF has put agricultural development on its agenda.

As the dynamic research wing of the Indian Merchants

Chamber, the ERTF has always been facilitating effective

interface between government business, trade and industry and

creating greater awareness and disseminating information on

key economic issues by undertaking, nurturing and promoting

research on topics of public interest.

This publication by the ERTF is another major venture in

that direction.

Supply Chain Management for Indian Agriculture - A Blueprint for Agriculture-led Prosperity