Political Diary
New Delhi, 13 June 2017
Farmers
Suicides
TALL
TALK+ NO VISION = NO ACTION
By
Poonam I Kaushish
Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day but
teach him how to fish, he will eat for the rest of his life", this adage
aptly describes the plight of farmers and the chabbi to end their hardships. Yet our netas refuse to follow this dictum merrily banding loan waivers at
election time, epitomizing the country’s ennui
to its farmers.
Undeniably,
the death of six farmers in police firing in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur,
the ongoing violent agrarian agitation in Maharashtra’s Nasik and Solapur coupled
with Punjab’s eight farmers’ organizations protests has the Party worried
specially at a time when it is aggressively trying to woo the community.
The cause célèbre: complete loan waiver and increase
in the minimum support price. Chief Minister Chouhan’s response: sitting on a
fast even as insiders blame him for inaction, despite increasing agriculture
growth to 20 per cent!
In
Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Fadnavis offer of loan waiver for small and
marginal farmers has not gone down well with others. This
year alone Vidharbha and Marathwada recorded over 740 deaths. Paradoxically, the loan waiver given
by the Yogi Government in UP has opened a Pandora’s Box for other BJP ruled
States.
Another piquant problem is of plenty whereby
a bumper crop has led to procurement prices plunging, pushing farmers deeper
into the depths of despair. In BJP-ruled Jharkhand farmers are selling paddy
produce at low prices to private parties and buying seeds for the kharif crop
at higher prices from non-Government agencies.
In Bengal paddy and potato prices have
crashed, ditto tur, moong, arhar dals
in Karnataka, Bihar, UP, sunflower in Haryana and red chilli in Telangana. While
onion growers in MP demand better prices for their produce, Rajasthan and
Maharashtra farmers are dumping tomatoes on the road.
Resulting in the Reserve Bank ominously
warning that the crisis could spread further in various States. Worse, the
Centre’s price mechanism covers only 14 of the 51 major crops which include
staple food like wheat, rice and cereals but not vegetables which are
perishable and growing them entails risk.
Shockingly, the Agricultural Ministry
estimates that 273 million tonnes fruit and vegetables produced this year will
not result in gains for farmers or consumers but only middlemen as the
Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee laws bar farmers from selling directly
in local markets.
Consequently, with 70% population dependent
directly or indirectly on agriculture farmer suicides account for 11.2% of
suicides while its contribution to GDP has fallen from 18% in 2013-14 to less
than 14% in 2016-17. Primarily because of expensive credit, high
debt burdens, low produce prices, Government policies, monsoon failure and
family problems.
Add to this, poor productivity, falling water levels, distorted market, middlemen who
increase cost but don’t add value, laws that stifle private investment, poor
infrastructure, difficulty in farming semi-arid regions, poor agricultural
income, absence of alternative income opportunities and a downturn in the urban
economy which forces non-farmers into farming.
Maharashtra’s Vidarbha
region stands testimony to over 5,650 farmers suicides due to indebtedness
(87%) and deterioration in economic status (74%). Appallingly, five out of 29 States (Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and
Kerala) account for 10,486 (76%) deaths.
Experts blame the Government’s lack
of response and relief packages which are not only ineffective, misdirected and
flawed but focused on credit and loan, rather than income, productivity and
farmer prosperity. Resulting in crippling high indebtedness totaling over 51.9%
across the country. Andhra with the highest indebted agricultural households
92.9%, Telengana 89.1%, Tamil Nadu 82.5%, Kerala and Karnataka at 77.7% and
77.3%. Shockingly, Rajasthan is next with 61.8% and Punjab at 53.2%.
Scandalously, the Government
twiddles its thumbs while unscrupulous money-lenders offer loans at high interest
rates while the income generating potential of farmer’s land remains low and
subject to weather conditions.
Failing to realise that short term
quick fix measures like debt waivers just postpones the
problem of finding a lasting solution to farmer distress. Namely, creating reliable
income sources, higher crop yields per hectare, irrigation and infrastructure
security.
Astonishingly, only 35% of the total produce
can be stored and 40% worth Rs 96,000 crores is wasted annually. There is dire
need for better storage facilities and steps needed to rid middlemen. Alongside,
farmers need to be educated on crop diversification, creating
and maintaining reliable irrigation and agriculture infrastructure.
Sadly, over the years there has been a sharp decline
in public investment in agriculture. In 2000-01 investment was down to just
over Rs.4,000 crores from about Rs.4,500 crores in 1993-94. Insufficient money
to even maintain the existing infrastructure, let alone expand it. Look at the
absurdity. The centre earmarks thousands of crores subsidy for fertilizers, but
a pittance for other basic agriculture inputs.
Clearly,
high time the Government comes up with pro-active solutions encompassing the
entire agriculture structure. Wherein dependency of agriculture on nature
should be reduced. This calls for effective water management during good
monsoons.
Also,
the main aim should be to prevent crop failure due to lack of water. An
example: In Andhra’s Nellore district despite availability of ample water for a
second crop, the State Government decided against permitting it due to proposed
repairs of reservoirs. Sic. It was only after several agitations by farmers'
that the Administration relented.
Two,
water management could be made more effective through inter- State co-operation
on water resources, where surplus water from perennial rivers can be diverted
to regions facing drought. Alas, a proposal since the 50’s of inter-linking
rivers has been put in the thanda baksa!
Three,
institutional finance must be made available to every farmer to prevent debt
traps of money lenders. This entails removing lengthy formalities and
procedures for obtaining loans, replacing them with simple solutions and
monitoring that the funds are used purposefully.
Four,
economical and technological cultivation methods guidance on would save farmers
money. They should be helped to shift to crops which are easy and cheap to
cultivate in adverse conditions. Land pooling by small farmers would make
farming economically viable along-with alternative income sources developed
with the Government taking responsibility for training them to acquire new
skills.
Additionally,
relief facilities alone are not enough as seen in Andhra where farmers commit
suicides simply to avail relief packages benefits for their families. Instead,
it should be given as a benefit to farmer to enable him to sustain his livelihood
and build on it.
Temporary
measures like monetary relief are no solution instead efforts should be made to
improving the entire farming structure whereby relief is not given simply on a
drought-to-drought basis, rather they need to be taught to overcome
difficulties through skills development.
All in all agriculture should be approached
professionally and not as a traditional occupation. The Government has to comprehend
that farmers' suicides are not minor issues happening in remote parts of a few
States but a reflection of the true state of our economy. Even as Prime
Minister extols the virtues of Make in India he needs to understand if Asli Bharat has to shine, the country’s
backbone --- our farmers must be empowered. Jai Kisan! ----- INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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