About 60% leaders in India
hail from the farming communities. The percentage was even more when we
attained freedom. Rather first five year plan was dedicated to bring
agriculture revolution. Yes, India since then attained self-reliability in
food. But what about the farmers those were active part of green revolution?
We see the condition of
farmers is declining monsoon after monsoon, forcing them to live in the
devastated conditions that many a times lead to the suicides! We have almost forgotten that unless economic
condition of this 55% population is enhanced there cannot be real equitable
economic revolution in the country. The main reason is though he is the
producer he has no authority over deciding price of his produce! Rather he is
showered with such a subsidies and packages that weaken his spirit of
innovations! Unless farmer doesn’t see profitable outcome of his labor he will
tend to be dependent on the mercy of the government and the shrewd politicians
has been taking disadvantage of their situation.
Instead of government fixing
base prices or the agents it is right of the farmer to decide price of his
produce. If he cannot get such price due to market conditions at the moment, he
should have been given enough facilities to store his produce in ware houses or
cold storage. He should get instant loan facilities over such stock so that he
has no need to sale his stock at throw away prices. He also should be given
opportunities to sale his produce directly to the end consumers or the buyer of
his choice so that the vicious chain of middlemen is broken. This is not
impossible. Just following things are needed to be implemented on high
priority.
1) Scrap Market Yard committees which have become center
of farmer’s exploitation.
2) Make available enough cold storages and warehouses in
every tehsil and district places…encourage private sector to get this done.
3) Make available enough space in every town or city
where farmers can directly sale their produce to the end users or retailers.
4) Food processing industry is in its infancy in the
country. There is no provision to process surplus hence there is about 30%
wastage (vegetables and fruits) which is loss to the national as well farmer’s
economy. The simple technologies like dehydration can be taught and encouraged.
So that there won’t be any wastage and same time it will make available
additional employment.
There are many more things
associated with plight of the farmers, but root cause is he has no right to
decide his price and his waiting capacity is so limited that he has to be
dependent on mercy of the traders and government. Merciless mercy of the
government has been of no help to him so far.
The liberty to the farmers
means that he should be freed from the artificial bondages he has been thrown
in. He has every right to decide which crop he should prefer and at what price
he should sale it or simply process it! Snatching his right to make his own
decision is not going to make farmer free from his plight and improve his
economic condition.
There are other facets as
well of this issue which we will discuss in next installment!
Visit Swarna Bharat Party
agenda to know more what reforms we want to bring in every segment!
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