The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has urged the state governments to pay due attention to the farm sector which is crucial for curbing inflation and achieving broad based improvement in living standards in rural areas. He said there is a need for reducing fiscal deficit in the coming years. Addressing the 55th meeting of the National Development Council in New Delhi today, Singh said that the present high rate of inflation was mainly due to food prices, but with a normal monsoon the rate of inflation in food prices would abate in the second half of the year. Pointing out that agriculture performance, especially food production, was crucial for food security and would help tackling the problem of inflation, the Prime Minister urged the Chief Ministers to give agriculture the priority it deserves.