Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/240

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using available resources. It is characterized by planning, cost control, process control, continuous monitoring, consciousness of productivity and long term interests and application of scientific and technological knowledge. Thus, agriculture can be an industry, though it is not one today. Poultry is fast becoming an industry. On the other hand, most of the so-called "village industries” are crafts and not industries in this sense. The first priority should be to make agriculture an industry in the above sense. This should increase its productivity, but will make some labour surplus for which we need to develop agro-based industries, like the following. The salient points are: • Agro-based industries should be number one priority in rural industrialization. They are much bigger in order of magnitude than the conventional industries we consider for rural industrialization. The scope for S and T input in these industries, has largely been neglected. Thus green fodder is a very profitable crop for the farmer and can be processed into silage and blended foods for animals. Dry fodder can be chemically and/or microbiologically treated to upgrade nutritional and market value. Biotechnology will bring in further progress. Composting has to be an industrial operation. Such broad based industries also have a great potential for ancillaries. The above, for example, will have construction, workshop and transport as key ancillary industries. Key because S and T input in these alone will enable the final cost to be brought down, low enough to exploit the full potential market. There will also be backward and forward linkages. The value addition will be mainly in the rural area and has scope for dissemination to landless people. • The products have nation wide markets and marketing will Rural Development Through Education System 227