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Farmers’ Real Woes and Long-term Solution
By Indra
Mar. 25, 2008 |
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Is Rs
60,000 crore loan waiver or giveaway the answer
for the suicides or miseries of the farmers in
India? Can Rs 90,000 crore subsidy for the
fertilizers provide real benefits to the
marginal farmers? Why does not the government
invest that money in agricultural
infrastructure?
Again the farmers with holding above 2 hectares
are not getting the waiver and Rahul as well as
Sonia wish that to be expanded to include all
indebted farmers. For them, the importance of
vote bank is much higher than the national
interest. On the other hand, the leaders such a
Sharad Pawar are promising similar loan waivers
for the people in all activities, be it a
poultry farmers or weavers or other artisans.
And why should it not be? I am sure one day, the
leftists will demand it to be extended for all
workforce engaged in unorganized sector too. All
these categories are the major vote banks and
all of them get indebted to have a living.
First of all, I don’t know if the national
treasury can afford the expanded and wished
level of loan waivers. And more importantly,
even if it can, will it the end of misery for
all theses people. And will that mean no
indebtedness thereafter and no suicides?
Many opine, “Perhaps it might win some votes for
Congress, but in the long run putting that money
in agricultural infrastructure would have
provided far better results.”
Perhaps more importantly, the farming must
become or be facilitated to become profitable.
After the hard work in it for year long, the
farmer must earn sufficient after deducting the
input cost that can make a good living for his
family. Main objectives of the government or any
well-wishing agencies of the farmers must
provide ways and means to improve his
productivity, the yield per unit land that is
much lower than many countries. How can he cut
the cost of inputs- fertilizers, insecticides,
seeds, irrigation or labour without affecting
the yield? Fertilizers, insecticides, and
pesticides must be more effective and cheap.
Quality of the seeds used must be the best. No
one should cheat the farmer with cheap and
fakes. Farming must be businesslike. And the
best assistance from government agencies,
research laboratories, agricultural universities
and even well wishing NGOs for farmers must come
forward and help him with in these areas. I
heard a reputed economist claiming on a TV
channel that the miseries in Vidarbha is because
of wrong switch over to cotton farming emulating
Gujarat, though the land is not suitable for the
cotton. If it is true, the social leaders must
convince the farmers there to go back to the
cultivation of the best suited grains. If most
of the region is rain-fed, the government must
invest heavily in small and big irrigation
projects. Instead of waiving the loans, the
government must create irrigation facilities
even if it would have required Rs 2 lakh crore
investments.
Further the government must facilitate with laws
and systems to get rid of the middlemen to get
the best price for his produce that must be
nearer if not same as the global price. Be it
the government fixed minimum support price or
one at which private companies such as Pepsico,
ITC, or Reliance buys from the farmers, it must
be based on the cost of farming plus profit and
not at one the farmer is made to sell because of
his poor negotiating power and no alternatives.
Once if the price that a farmer gets for his
produce is sufficiently more that the total
input cost, he will earn to meet his essential
expenditures, as any one else in other
profession is doing. After all he doesn’t have
anything to fall back on except for some produce
that comes from his fields. He buys everything
else as other consumers do. He needs the quality
commodities of daily use at the cheapest price
and that the local traders don’t offer. And in
rural India, he doesn’t have any alternative
source. He wishes to send his children to school
that costs. He needs medical care that costs. He
gets into legal problem that costs. He is to
marry her daughter and he is afraid of social
taboos that cost. Even the death of a near one
is costly for him because of the social
pressures and to maintain prestige among whom he
lives. Here the poor farmers need help from the
social and religious leaders.
Farmers’ earnings require additional boost for a
better living. It is possible if he switches
over to some commercial crop partly. As
reported, a bigha of peppermints can earn Rs
20,000 per crop against Rs 7000 with wheat.
Cultivation of seasonal vegetables and cattle
breeding for milk can ensure regular earning, if
buyers can be arranged. It can reduce
fertilizers cost too. Plantation of commercial
trees can be the farmers’ fixed deposit.
Mushroom farming as demonstrated by Lalmuni Devi
of Patna can add to the family earning. Rural
women with many skills, if supported with
marketing facility, can also participate to
boost the overall earning of the family. And all
that will be the permanent solution.
However, I don’t agree that the farmers are not
happy with the waivers announced. It will also
serve another purpose. It will make those
farmers who till now don’t borrow going by the
age-old perception of ‘borrowing follows
sorrowing’ take loans from the public banks
because of the hope that one day, particularly
in election year, that may get waived.
However, I will like the farmers to be provided
with knowledge and skills for better output from
the farming that today is totally
technology-based. We can’t expect them to know
the farming, as they are born in a farmer
family. It is unfortunate that “only 18 per cent
of the farmers across the country were aware of
things like bio-fertilisers. Only 29 per cent
knew about the minimum support price, a mere 5
per cent were members of self-help groups while
71 per cent did not belong to any cooperative.”
I am confident Indian farmers that may be
satisfied to ride a Juggad today, will switch
over to Nanos too.
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Discussion on this topic is now
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