AGRICULTURE (FARMER) - A GIFT TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURE - AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

 AGRICULTURE (FARMER) - A GIFT TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURE - AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE:

Agriculture is all about getting in touch with the earth around us. It was farmers, who took all that land and that went over the mountains, and cleared the land, and settled it, and farmed it, and hung onto their land and produced grain and became founders of human civilization. Infact, agriculture & farmers became back bone to particularly to our nation.

INDIAN AGRICULTURE - THE BROADER CONTEXT:

The history of agriculture in India dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. During Vedic period there is belief that those people who are near to nature they must be exceptionally close to God. The Mauryan empire categorised soils and made meteorological observations for the agricultural use. During mediaeval time also agriculture got great impetus by funding irrigation facilities and also established a special department to encourage agriculture activities. The agrarian society in South India during Chola rule reveals that collective holding of land slowly gave way to individual plots each with their own irrigation system. Further, the British conquest led to the disintegration of village community due to introduction of new land revenue system and by the process of commercialisation. On the eve of independence, India had to face the serious problem of food shortage. Partition gave severe blow to food grain production, imbalances in population and necessity raised to be imported from outside.  Hence, agriculture development was given top most priority and aptly stated by the then PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that ' everything else can wait but not agriculture'  and it was reflected in several policies and investments in the agricultural field.

AFTER ~75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE:

Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is unquestionably the largest livelihood provider in India, especially in the vast rural areas. It also contributes a significant figure to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). India is an agrarian economy with half of its labor market representing agriculture-related sectors and more than 54 percent of the nation’s land categorized as arable. But the average holding size stands at just 0.9 ha (2018-19). Small and marginal farmers with less than two hectares of land account for 86.2% of all farmers in India, but own just 47.3% of the crop area, according to the 10th agriculture census. The latest Assessment Survey of the NSO reveals that the income of an average agri-household in India was only Rs 10,218 per month in 2018-19.  This is worst in case of SCs and STs, and many are landless (poor) farmers! So farmers condition is not so much different from colonial period and also introduction of new technologies (Biotechnology, green revolution) didn't change as expected level to the large chunk of farmers (marginal & small) and the future of agriculture.

CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD FOR INDIAN AGRICULTURE:

FROM THE SIDE OF FARMER:

Lack of awareness about schemes and unreadiness to adopt many new technologies due to illiteracy, small land holdings, ignorance....etc holding back the farmers ability to perform up to the level. Trapped and superstitious beliefs on monsoon gambling during sowing season is another area to be a cause of concern. His social obligations like marriages to daughters/ festivals forcing him to divert his agriculture loans amounts/Direct benefit transfers from Agriculture investments to personal usages. It is high time to reap benefit out of Government programmes, advises from government regrading crop diversification and other scientific aspects. If farmer in his level don't realise all these,  he will continue to be the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale. 

FROM THE SIDE OF SOCIETY:

Nurturing the next generation by projecting farming in a wrong way and the danger of supposing that breakfast & lunch comes from the grocery/hotels is threat for young generation to be entered in Agriculture. Society should project farming via media/movies as the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man.  Unchecked pollution by people through the degradable garbage to undegradable plastic pollution, which is leading to soil degradation, which is detrimental to farming outputs.It is impossible to have a healthy and sound society without a proper respect for the soil. It is always gives motivation to farmer if one gives respect to his way of life with nature (Agriculture).

FROM THE SIDE OF GOVERNMENT:

As per a report paddy production per hectare in India is 2929 Quintal where is it is 6321 Quintal in China and 6625 Quintal in South Africa. It is very essential from the Government side to focus on increasing Agriculture productivity. For this Government should encourage farm mechanisation (through cooperatives), rationalise use of fertilisers through soil health cards and other farm community awareness programmes, providing High Yielding Varities to mainly small & marginal farmers, who are major chunk in farming community. It is high time to have clear cut policy regarding water & irrigation facilities to control depleting water resources. Further, needs to complete pending irrigation projects in a mission mode. There is an issue of inadequate and untimely credit and there are undue delay in dispensation of credit.  Though there are Direct Benefit Transfer, financial inclusion schemes it is time to rationalise towards poorest farmers(tenant farmers) and making them more aware about insurance schemes like PMFBY(Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana) and providing timely credit facilities will make farmer free from clutches of money lenders. 

To double the income of farmers, there is a necessity to concentrate on Food processing, allied sectors, Marketing and Infrastructure facilities. We are very poor in infrastructure like storage go downs, silos...etc. Encourage Public Private Partnership in this aspect will reduce post harvest losses and good income to farmers. eNAM like platforms should be utilised well and digitalisation supported by forward and backward chain facilities at micro level connecting to macro level (hub and spoke model) will bring expected positive outcomes in farmers life. As Agriculture is a state subject, states must go extra mile to protect farmers interest with the help of Central Government. In this aspect Andhra Pradesh RBKs model and other Agriculture schemes are role model to other states. Government always must be Farm centric rather politics centric. It is high time to follow Swaminathan Commission, Ashok Dalwai Committee recommendation for overall agriculture development in general and particularly  Swaminathan Commission recommendations for Minimum Support Price and it is sad to know that, only 6% farmers getting advantage through Minimum Support Price (Shanta Kumar-headed High Level Committee on Restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI)). It is essential to  make aware farmers regarding Minimum Support Price all over India and making more transparent it and clearing doubts regarding this MSP. The Research & Development is another area, the Government must invest and should give timely support in all aspects to Research institutions without unnecessarily intervening into their areas. It's high time to encourage private players to be part in research and should bring results from lab to land and then farm to fork.

There is a saying that, “There are only three things that can kill a farmer: lightning, rolling over in a tractor, and old age.” Making laws/policies to overhaul agriculture in a hurry and scrapping them because of socially dominant, and economically and politically powerful groups should not be an another reason for farmers agony. 

Covid -19 already impacted and posed a lot of challenges. This crisis should be taken as opportunity to review this sector and carry forward reforms with due diligence, debates, discussions, deliberations and reorganise India’s agriculture sector more in accordance with the principles of flexibility, consultation, transparency and pragmatism. 

Recent announcement regarding the formation of a committee with representatives from both the Central and State Governments to look into issues related to agriculture, such as zero-budget farming, fertilizers, change in crop patterns, transparency in establishing minimum support prices and so on is a great step from the side Central Government. If the Government implement that report whole in letter and spirit with alacrity and sensitivity, it will be handsome victory for the farmers and at large for the society. At last, we have to remember that, whatever we do for agriculture & farmers, it is very small as once in your life you need a doctor/ a lawyer/ a policeman/ any other one, but every day, three times a day, we need a farmer and it is true that, the Agriculture (farmer) is real gift to the man kind and to the most beautiful nature.

                                                                                                                                                      Article written by

                                                                                                                                                      Syam Sundar 

                                                                                                                                              Assitant Section Officer