The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said the government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to improve returns to farming and step up investment in rural infrastructure.

Speaking at the Golden Jubilee of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, Dr Singh said, over the last seven years, the government has engineered a shift in terms of trade in favour of agriculture by raising significantly, the support and procurement prices.

Dr Singh said, food production at the end of the 11th plan will exceed 250 million tonnes, an all time record. The Prime minister said, it looks agricultural growth is likely to be about 3.5 per cent per annum during the 11th five year plan. He however said, it must be improved to 4 per cent in the Twelfth plan.

Saying both land and water limited, Dr Singh called for developing agricultural technology which can ensure high yield while commissioning on water and are also capable of withstanding water stress. The Prime minister said, the National Agricultural Research System needs to be further strengthened to meet the challenges of the years ahead.

He said, the government is committeed to raise research and development spending as a whole to at least 2 per cent of the GDP by the end of the twelfth plan from the current level of about one per cent.

The Prime minister said, there is a need to deal with the threat of climate change. He said, climate change and rising demand for commercial energy are expected to have a significant impact on agriculture in the country.