RANCHI: Experts, including a leading World Bank economist, on Friday praised Jharkhand 's effort to attract investments in the agriculture sector from within and outside of India.Speaking at a session on the concluding day of the two-day Global Agriculture and Food Summit 2018 organised by the Jharkhand government here, World Bank agriculture economist Chakib Jenane said investments in the agriculture sector must be more than the double for countries like India because the demand for food, driven by a high population growth and dietary shifts, is expected to grow by 50% by 2030. He added since India's population is set to surpass that of China, it will be on a high risk side if it doesn't promote and market driven agriculture."It's good that India and Jharkhand have already started working in this direction," Jenane said, referring to the status of agriculture in India vis-a-vis the world and the challenges that lie ahead. "In developed countries, arable land is shrinking by 0.45% whereas in developing nations, it stands at 0.35%. This is an area that needs immediate attention," he added. Jenane expressed concern that the demand for food is peaking at a time arable land is shrinking. Water scarcity , degrading land quality, climate change , supply side pressure like improper market linkage are some of the key challenges that India faces. These challenges are there in Jharkhand, too," Jenane said.

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