Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government will focus on modernising the agricultural marketing system and brining in private players to this sector in the 12th Five Year Plan beginning 2012. He said this at the International Conference on Agriculture in New Delhi yesterday.

Dr Singh admitted of not doing much to promote modernisation of agricultural marketing. The Prime Minister said, he has asked the Planning Commission and Ministry of Agriculture to focus particularly on this aspect in the 12th Five Year Plan Dr Singh said that Government is committed to bring Food Security Bill in the Parliament soon to provide a legal guarantee for cheaper rice and wheat to the poor.

The Prime Minister said as malnutrition is particularly high amongst the poor and the vulnerable; this needs to be supplemented by social safety nets. He said, the government is planning to focus on millets that have a high protein, fiber and mineral content and are extremely important food grain for their nutritive value and health benefits.