Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has stressed the need to shift focus to crops where the state had competitive advantages in terms of production and productivity. Inaugrating the first international convention and exhibition on agro and food processing industry Agrifare-2000, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry in Ahmedabad on Friday, Patel said that Gujarat had made rapid strides in economic growth particularly in manufacturing and service sectors.
“The role of agriculture sector remained crucial in the economy of the state,” Patel said. He said 65 per cent of the population of the state lived in rural areas and depended for livelihood on agriculture and rural non farming sector which contributed only 20 per cent to the state domestic production. Bureau Report