Govt urged to dispose CSC assets

Government needs to consider disposing of some prime assets of the Cold Storage Company to set up a fund and commission charged with development, driving productivity and attracting foreign investment into agriculture.

The fund which will be administered by the agricultural development commission, would, among other functions, subsidise cost drivers in agriculture and its value chain, carry out farm audits and delimitations, compensate displaced farmers for capital improvements and set up an agricultural commodities exchange.

Further, the fund and the commission would be responsible for financing the Grain Marketing Board to pay farmers in time and setting up a fertiliser manufacturer to make the fertiliser available cheaply while exporting the excess.