FARMER”
Submitted by: Submitted to:
Mr. kamaldeep singh
Rahul bedi
CERTIFICATE
This is to certified that Rahul bedi students of BBA
(III) ,GNA-IMT. Phagwara ,has undergone this
project of “How government exploit the farmer”
under the supervision of MR. Kamaldeep singh
(subject teacher) and submitted satisfactory project
report during session 2008-11.
This report satisfies entire practical fulfillment
for the Punjab technical university examination.
In the sincere efforts of the student hard-
work, this report satisfies the practical study of them
certified by Punjab technical university.
………………
Teacher sign
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are heartily great-full to Mr. Kamaldeep singh. They
have always been an invaluable source of inspiration, hard
work, sincerity and dedication.
It gives me immerse pleasure in submitting this
project on “how government explored the farmer”. I have
developed this project from GNA-IMT.
I would like to express my sincere ineptness to my
project guide Mr. kamaldeep singh for his constant
guidance and valuable support during the project work.
Encouragement and excellent guidance in this successful
completion of the project work.
Rahul Bedi
Content
1) Introduction
2) The main problems occur for farmer by
government.
3) Burden of debt
4) Loan access
5) Area and electricity problem
6) Problems being faced by the farmer : Discussion in
Parliament
7) Research Outputs, Problems and Solutions:
8) Survey
9) Conclusion
10) Bibliography
INTRODUCTION
After 200 years of British rule .when the country got independence on
15 Aug 1947 .it was semi-Feudal ,Backward ,stagnant & disIntigrated
economy .agriculture was extremly backward &Britishers exploited to
indian farmers.the britishers govt. compelled indian farmers to change
over from the production of food crops to the production of commercial
of crops like ,cotten,jute,etc. as a result of the land revenue system,like
zamindari system,adopted by the govt. the indian farmers were obliged
to sell large part of their commercial crops in the local market and the
same was exported to england.
in the eve of independence several factors conspired to keep the farmers
steeped in heavy indebtness . these were excessive burden of land-
rent,fall in productivity of agriculture , uneconomic size of holdings,etc.
according to an investigation by mpc associates ,a u.k retail and leisure
consultancy practice nearly 180000 indian farmers have commited
suicide in the past decade as a result of exploitation by british.
the increasing debt of farmers and also of small artisans has been a cause
of suicide.
but now currently years,farmers also exploited by govt. . poor farmers
could not got harvesting techniques and also could not get real price of
production because of exploitation of govt.
flood in A.P 18 lakh people ,400 villages effected. mostly villagers
people are farmers .they depend on agriculture.After flood farmers bear
very loss on agriculture but govt .take no strong steps .farmers are ready
to do work on less salary.govt avoided thier.......
The rising costs of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers have pushed peasants into mounting
debts, and led untold thousands of them to commit suicide by drinking the same
pesticides that created their liabilities.
India which has 600 million people engaged in agriculture and allied activities, ushered
its green revolution in the late 1960s. It was apparent two decades later that chemical-
intensive farming had resulted in increased costs of cultivation and far-reaching
environmental damages.
The loss of topsoil, a drastic decline in soil fertility and water tables owing to the use of
fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified crops, should have made a compelling
case for scientists and policy makers to restructure Indian agriculture.
Instead, impoverished farmers plunged deeper into debt through trade distortions
brought on by the country's economic reforms and the plummeting price of produce
seen in the past 15 years.
By the government's own admission, over 100,000 farmers committed suicide in the last
decade in the four states of western Maharashtra, central Madhya Pradesh and
southern Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
But some farmers are now escaping the debt trap by returning to traditional low-cost
farming, enriching the soil with farmyard manure or compost, using indigenous seeds
and returning to biological pesticides such as nee tree oil and cow urine.
In Andhra Pradesh 300,000 farmers are reaping increased yields and earning better
incomes without genetically modified GM seeds and chemical pesticides, and using
local pest management techniques.
'Farmers who mortgaged their Ramachandrapuram village recovered the entire land by
repaying the debts, merely by stopping use of pesticides,' food and trade analyst
Devinder Sharma said.
'Over the last three years, over 700,000 acres in the state have turned pesticide-free or
organic. The programme is going strong, aiming to cover 1.2 million acres this year and
2.5 million acres in two years.'
About 11,000 farmers, including the worst-hit cotton growers from five villages, have
pledged to practice chemical-free ecological farming under an initiative by Navdanya, an
organization that pioneered the organic food movement in India.
But agriculture experts contend that the solution is not as simple as going back to the
basics.
One expert, KSRK Murthy, argued that organic agriculture cannot guarantee the high
productivity assured by synthetic fertilizers that is necessary to feed the growing
population.
Murthy said crop yields in organic farms ere up to 50 per cent less, and required big
quantities of organic manure and more land under cultivation, to produce the same
amount of food.
But Navdanya founder Vandana Shiva said that argument ignores the true hidden costs
of industrial agriculture.
The UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, which carried out a recent
study in Vidarbha, suggested to the Indian government explore organic farming for debt-
ridden farmers.
Shiva, who also chairs the independent International Committee for the Future of Food
and Agriculture, said organic farming raises consumer awareness of both food quality
and the link between climate change and agriculture.
'Industrial farming and unnecessary global trade in food is responsible for up to 40 per
cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farming contributes to mitigation and
adaptation to climate change,' she said.
'Such farming can help small farmers survive, increase farm productivity, repair decades
of environmental damage and lead to better food security. When chemical farming has
led to a total collapse, traditional and organic farming is the solution, the way of the
future.'
<BURDEN OF DEBT>
Small farmers of Marthadu village gather to speak about their burden of
debts.
But of course Padmamma was weighed down by her own share of worries. Like most
other small farmers, she was deeply in debt. She was worried about her husband who
needed treatment. Her daughters were married in simple ceremonies and had moved
out, but her wage was hardly enough to keep the family going. She planted groundnut
on her land in July last year and hoped that her harvest would help pay back a part of
her debt of Rs.30,000 to the local agricultural bank and to private moneylenders.
Midway through the season, the groundnut crop was hit by bud necrosis, a disease that
wiped out a large part of the kharif crop in Anantapur last year. She sprayed her crops
with monocrotophosphate, the pesticide that the government had distributed free of cost
to groundnut farmers, but it made little difference. One evening Padmamma came home
from work, and as usual went into her fields. As she surveyed her lifeless crops,
something snapped in this once strong and resilient person. She drank the pesticide
meant for her crops and died in hospital a few hours later.
For G. Ramanjineyulu, a small farmer owning 5.5 acres of land from Jakkalcheruvu
village, the breaking point came when his motor pump burned out under low voltage
conditions. Its repair would have cost him another Rs.3,000, so when it happened,
Ramanjineyulu, who had a shared loan of Rs.1,00,000 with his brothers from the
agricultural bank, plus an individual loan of Rs.60,000 from the village moneylender,
decided he could take it no more. He returned home and drank pesticide. A day later
Anita, his 12-year-old daughter, distraught with grief at her father's death, also
consumed the pesticide and died. "His motor died, his bullocks died, the bank people
and moneylenders were pressuring him to repay, and there was no expectation of a
crop," said Irojamma, a resident of the village.
Rami Reddy, Padmamma's husband, does not work. The debt burden now falls on him
and his sons. He got just two bags of groundnut valued at Rs.2,000 from his harvest,
after investing between Rs.5,000 and Rs.6,000 on the crop. After Padmamma's death,
the family got nothing from the government in terms of either ex-gratia payment or help
in kind. Mangamma, Ramanjineyulu's wife, was sanctioned Rs.10,000 from the family
benefit scheme, although she has received only half that amount. The government is
also financing the construction of a small house for her in the village.
The Anantapur District Cooperative Central Bank Ltd is the major agricultural bank in
the district. According to its president S. Suryanarayana, the bank gave short-term
kharif loans amounting to Rs.56 crores in 2000, up from Rs.51.81 crores in 1999. Under
its long-term lending scheme it has advanced Rs.17.28 crores in 1999-2000. "Our
recovery rate for both short-term and long-term loans was just 30 per cent in 1999-
2000," said Suryanarayana. "We have recovered 18.45 per cent this year and we are
running at a loss of Rs.19.9 crores."
The mood is one of despair and frustration among the groundnut farmers. Good
agricultural practices and favourable climatic conditions are no longer enough to ensure
the farmer an adequate livelihood. With an import regime that now exposes agriculture
to the uncertainties of global trade, groundnut cultivation and the lives of four and a half
lakh farmers dependent on it are precariously poised in rural Anantapur.
Loan access
Difficulty in accessing the incentive loans have been due to a variety of reasons, one of which is
the inability to pay within a short period of time.
Many farmers are saddled with old debts at high interest rates, and are reluctant to take out new
loans, particularly those with a four per cent interest rate.
Dr Le Van Banh, director of the Mekong Delta Rice Study Institution, said the Bank of Viet
Nam should encourage commercial banks to reduce the interest rate of old loans and extend the
loan payment terms.
Some of the items on the Government’s list of goods that can be purchased are not available on
the market, and farmers would prefer to buy foreign-made equipment.
Combine harvesters made in Viet Nam, for example, are designed for the local topography, and
are favoured by farmers. But they must wait up to four months for a new supply.
Chinese companies can supply farmers with a machine within three or four days after an order,
Banh said.
Another problem facing farmers is the lack of receipts for their purchases, particularly for seeds,
fertilisers and pesticides.
Sellers of these goods rarely issue receipts and farmers cannot present invoices to loan officers.
Perturbed by the erratic electricity supply, Kehar Singh, the village head of Noshehra
Dhalla, pointed out that farmers who are keen to take labourers for cultivation, also face
harassment. A major portion of the land across the fencing is not utilized due many
hurdles including the non-friendly attitude of the electricity department.
Rajiv Kumar, Chief Engineer, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Border Zone, said
that those who had applied before 1990 were given the connections and none of the
applications was pending in the border areas.
Kumar said that normally throughout the year the PSEB supplies electricity either
between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 10a.m. to 5 a. m. according the availability of the electricity.
Kumar informed that in the coming five years, the PSEB would provide a transformer to
each tubewell.
He, however, assured that if he received the representation from the farmers he would
try to rectify their problems in a better manner.
India had fenced the Punjab frontier in the early 1990s by erecting barbed wire along
the Indio-Pak international border to keep terrorists and smugglers at bay.
The 553-kilometres-long international border between India and Pakistan, which has
300 gates along the electrified barbed wire fencing in Punjab, also involves thousands
of acres of land of the Indian farmers.
SHRI BASU DEB ACHARIA initiating the debate, said: We have seen as to how the
farmers in this country have been committing suicide. Palakkad, known as the `Rice
Bowl of Kerala’, is now being termed as the `Death Bowl of Kerala’. These suicide of
farmers is a grim reflection of the situation as it is prevailing in the various States of the
country. Within a span of one year, the prices of rubber, copra, arecanut and coffee
etc. went down by 50 per cent. Same is the case in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Jute is one of the important agricultural produces of West Bengal. About forty lakh
families are dependent on jute in West Bengal. The farmers of West Bengal and Bihar
got a very less price from the Government of India. The JCA and the Cotton
Corporation of India did not come forward to save the farmers from distress sale. The
situation is grim everywhere in the country.
The reason for all this is the removal of quantitiative restrictions by the Government of
India. Now the Government is allowing import of palm oil to help the industrialists at the
cost of farmers. We were told that after the removing the Quantitative Restrictions,
there will not be a substantial import of agricultural commodities.
In spite of that agricultural commodities are being imported in our country continuously.
It has been mentioned at Doha that there is a need to reduce subsidies as well as
tariff. But nothing concrete has been decided at the meeting. The international prices
have been further reduced by subsidies. But our Prime Minister is asking our farmers
to be competitive. How can our farmers be competitive, if the subsidy is reduced?
The total amount of subsidy given to agriculture in America is about 343 billion dolloars
as per the 1996 figures. Besides this, they get certain other inputs at very cheaper
rates than the Indian farmers get. Import tariff is also very important because one of
the conditionalities of WTO is that the developed countries should not only reduce their
subsidy but also should reduce their import tariff. The situation is alarming and for the
first time, last year, there was a negative growth.
The Government has also decided to stop procurement of foodgrains by the Food
Corporation of India. Now, the procurement will be handed over to the private traders
and distribution of foodgrains to the people will be handed over to the State
Government and Public Distrubiton System will be dismantled. Due to the crisis in the
agriculture sector, not only farmers are affected adversely but also the agriculture-
based industries, like jute in West Bengal and Bihar. If the interests of the farmers are
ignored and neglected, this Government has no right to stay in power.
After fifty-three years of Independence, the farmers who have made our country self-
sufficient in foodgrains production are committing suicides. Due to the policies of the
Government in regard to fertiliser and in regard to subsidy, the capital investment is
reducing. In order to save this country and to save the farmers, this Government has to
reverse the policies. Otherwise, they have to quit.
SHRI SAHIB SINGH: It is indeed true that the lot of farmer has not improved for the
last 54 years to the desirable extent. Every suicide by the farmers in any part of the
country is a stigma on the country. It’s a matter of shame for the country. It is my firm
opinion that the farmers have not been paid remunerative prices ever since the country
has got freedom.
The prices of inputs required for agriculture are increasing constantly. Though
numbers of measures have been taken, like introduction of crop insurance scheme, yet
the dissemination of the schemes have not been to desired extent. Hence, the farmers
fail to take advantage of the schemes launched for their benefit.
The share of agriclture in the GDP has been falling continuously.
The situation is too miserable to describe. The land reforms are outdated in the
present context. This has added to the difficulties of the farmers. Hence, the
Government should come out with an appropriate policy in this regard. The situation is
such the first the farmers are evicted from their ownership of lands and then the cost of
land is determined and paid to them. The farmers have to pay commissions when they
go to sell their produce in the market.
It is the farmer who works hard and a share of his earning is taken away by the
brokers. This aspect should also be looked into. All round development of the farmers
living in the villages is must. So long there are jobless people in a farmers house, the
tendency to commit suicide can not be checked. They will continue to commit suicide
and they may even resort to indulge into crimes.
On one hand, the farmers feed the country and on the other defend the country on the
borders. Even after 54 years of independence, we have failed to make water available
to the people of the country.
The farmers do not get electricity. We have to take certain measures in order to uphold
the dignity of farmers. We have to make provisions to pay the difference between the
market price and the minimum support price to the farmers.
As long as the farmers are unaware of what crop they have to sow to get remunerative
price, their misery will not be minimized. We have to make provisions to give subsidy
to the farmers directly and do away with the practice of giving subsidy to the mills. We
have to adopt our traditional methods to increase the fertility of soil and have to use
bio-fertilizers and manures.
Today, the farmers are migrating to the cities. This is because there are no health and
education facilities in the rural areas. Unless the people from among the farmers are
there in the bureaucracy, the difficulties of farmers can not be mitigated. Hence, we
should make arrangement to provide health care, education and other facilities to the
people living in the villages.
The country can not march forward unless the condition of farmers is improved. The
country would prosper only when the farmers make progress. No farmer would commit
suicide and there will be smile on the face of the farmers.
The farmers are not self-reliant even after 54 years of independence. Today, there is
no parity between the market price and the minimum support price. We shall have to
unite to provide justice to the farmers. The Government has given benefit to about one
crore of farmers by providing them credit cards. It is certainly a commendable act.
An agriculture policy has been framed. Certain steps have been taken by the
Government in different directions, but there is a need to do much more in this sector.
The farmers are not well informed about the different types of farming. The
Government has launched several schemes for the farmers, workers and for their
children, but they have not benefited due to lack of information. Therefore, there is a
need to create a T.V. Channel on agriculture to make them aware about all the
information in this field.
SHRI LAKSHMAN SINGH: An agriculture policy should be only for the benefit of
farmers. We must protect the environment if we want to compete globally in the field of
farming under WTO. We must conserve the water resources and suitable environment
should be created, then only we will be able to overcome this problem.
Today India stands in the competition after signing the WTO and to win the
competition, we must give due attention to quality as well as to the quantity.
Nothing is being said about the cooperative farming by the Government to save small
and marginal farmers. Rather contract farming and corporate farming are being
encouraged.
Today Cooperative is linked with agriculture. Agriculture and cooperative cannot be
separated. Several financial restrictions are being imposed on cooperative societies
and on the contrary, no such restrictions are being imposed on multinational
companies and the industrialists.
The Government of Madhya Pradesh has sent a proposal of cooperative farming in
respect of small and medium farmers. Other State Governments might have also sent
such proposals to the Government. The Government must consider these proposals
seriously so that cooperative farming can be encouraged.
Today, crores of rupees are being deposited by agriculture markets in the exchequer.
There are several such State Governments which are giving this money to the financial
corporations and through them big industrialists are getting that money by
manipulation and that money is never returned.
A legislation should be enacted to check the misappropriation of this money. Today,
there is a need to increase the agriculture production. Government should mount
pressure on the FAO. The nutritious produce of the country should be added to the list
of FAO so that their export is enhanced. As a result, the country will be benefited.
The pulses production in the country has a specific importance. In the year 1951, the
annual per capita availability of pulses was 70.6 kilograms which has now reduced to
36 kilograms. Oilseed production came down from a high of 256 lakh tonnes to less
than 188 lakh tonnes in the year 2000. India has achieved a self-sufficiency of 97 per
cent in the oilseeds production, which today is around 50 per cent or less, thus forcing
us to buy massive quantities of edible oils from abroad. India’s imports of edible oils
have primarily shot up because of the great neglect of the Indian oilseeds sector by the
Government of India by allowing imports of edible oil at very low duties, much against
the interest of the oilseeds farmer. Oil import should immediately be stopped and the
oil seed farmers of the country should be given protection.
There is a need to link aqua-culture with the cooperatives. This year we have exported
to the tune of 1300 million US dollars. This is a big achievement in the aqua-culture
field. Today, there is need to strengthen the ICAR.
The Budgetary support given to ICAR is not sufficient. The budgetary support to ICAR
should be increased from 1 per cent to 2 or 3 per cent so that ICAR can pursue further
research. The environmental issue which is linked with agriculture has not been given
due consideration.
There is a need to form community grain banks. Five hundred crore rupees were given
to FCI under Sampoorn Gramin Yojana to distribute free grain. But there is no account
of this money. Is this the way to protect the farmers? If no change is brought about in
the policy, the farmers will continue to commit suicides despite having godowns full of
foodgrains. We have a large potential for sugarcane production.
Today, vehicles are being run on Gassohole. The Gassohole prepared by sugarcane
and maize will be utilised for the purpose. There is a possibility of setting up 30 sugar
factories in the Tawa Command area of Madhya Pradesh. It is possible, if licences are
issued to this effect.
All these factors have collectively broken the backbone of the farmer while he is busy
building the fortunes of the country with increased production of foodgrains. We will
have to search our hearts and see whether we are really doing justice to the farmer
who is toiling in the fields for the sake of the country.
Farmers took care of the country in regard to food security, but successive
Governments did not take care of the security of the farmer. The Members of
Parliament from Andhra Pradesh have raised the issue in the Parliament. The
decisions with regard to farmer should be timely, accurate and pro-farmers ones. They
should not be pro-traders.
The food Corporation of India this year has procured about 80 lakh tones of rice from
Andhra Pradesh and about 7 lakh tones of paddy this year during this particular
season. Now, for 80 lakh tonnes of rice, they have opened only 110 purchasing
centers. I do not know how far these are going to meet the target to procure the entire
quantiy in time when they could not procure the whole quantity last year? Andhra
Pradesh is having godown space to the extent of 32 lakh tones. More than 17 lakh
tones of para-boiled rice is lying in our godowns. We approached the Government so
that this rice is lifted. But it is not being done so far.
I only urge upon this Government to do this immediately so that godown space will fall
vacant and fresh stocks can be stored. Timely action to procure foodgrains is very
much necessary. We have got other very important crops where the farmers have
been suffering. Cotton is there, for example. Now, around 25 lakh tones of cotton is
being imported. As a result of indiscriminate imports, the domestic producer is
suffering a lot. As against the MSP of Rs.1350, cotton farmers in Andhra Pradesh are
getting about Rs.1100 only.
There is a need to have a practical look by which the market will stabilize and a level
playing field can be created between imported cotton and the cotton produced
domestically. Andhra Pradesh, particularly Rayalsema district, is one such State where
groundnut production is sizeable. Owing to the long spells of drought, per hectare yield
has reduced to even fifty per cent of the normal production.
I would request the FCI to relax the norms for procurement of groundnut. Public
investment in agriculture is going down Plan-after-Plan. The flow of institutional credit
to Indian agriculture is very meager. As against 18 per cent stipulated by the RBI, it is
around 13 per cent.
SHRI N.N. KRISHNADAS: The Government is not at all honest and sincere in solving
the burning issues concerning the farming community of the country. Even as we are
discussing and debating this matter, the situation is worsening. I come from Palghat of
Kerala State. Palghat is known as the rice bowl of the State. While the prices of cash
crops and other crops are coming down the prices of agricultural products are going
up.
The price of rubber has reduced up to Rs.28. The price of tyre is going up. The price of
cotton is coming down. The cotton clothes prices are going up.
What happened in Doha? The Government says that they done the maximum in Doha.
But I accuse that this Government has totally failed to protect the interests of
agriculturists of our country. We totally failed to mobilize the support of third world
countries. Within WTO agreement there is a provision to increase the import duty on
certain agricultural products up to 300 per cent. But what happened? The import duty
on palmolein oil has been reduced from 75 per cent to 65 per cent. What is the
difficulty in increasing the import duty on palmolein oil to 200 per cent?
Almost a year back, hon. Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, declared a special
package for Kerala. But till date not even a single step has been taken to implement
even one of the proposals of the special package. Very recently, last monsoon, a
natural calamity occurred in Kerala.
The Government of Kerala has estimated the loss at Rs.500 crore approximately there.
We have made a request to the Union Government in this regard. The Chief Minister,
Shri A.K. Antony met the hon. Prime Minister and all the other concerned Ministers.
Shri A.K. Antony was satisfied with all these meetings. But till this date not even a
single paisa has been released to deal with this natural calamity.
A holistic approach should be taken to deal with the farmer’s problems. The
Government has declared the minimum support price for copra this year very late. The
Union Government asked NAFED to procure six oil seeds, including copra. But the
allocation made for this procurement was barely Rs. 161 crore. Still the outstanding
dues against last year’s procurement of copra and other oil seeds stand at Rs.400
crore. I fail to understand as to why the Government declares procurement of copra
and other oil seeds and does not release sufficient money for the same.
I demand from the Union Government to raise the import duty on palm oil at least up to
200 per cent, ask the STC to procure rubber and give access for its export, declare in
proper time the minimum support price for copra and start procuring copra in time. I
know that the hon.
Agriculture Minister has asked NAFED to procure copra. But nothing has happened in
this regard. Four years back the real price per one coconut was Rs.6, but now it stands
at Rs.1.5. How do you expect the farming community to survive in this country? We
have been expressing our concern for the farming community of our country
relentlessly, but the situation is going from bad to worse. I demand from the Union
Government to implement the special package for Kerala and save the farming
community of Kerala.
KUNWAR AKHILESH SINGH: The farmers of the country have not only made it self
reliant in the field of foodgrains but also made it exporter of foodgrains since
independence. But the condition of the farmers has worsened during hese years. In
various states of the country the farmers are committing suicide.
The questions is why the farmers are resorting to commit suicide. The cost of
production of agriculture items has increased which affects their production. The
farmers are not getting the remunerative prices of the products. There is a big gap
between cost and market price of products.
Today the situation is that the farmers are not getting the cost of their produce. How
much quantity the Government is procuring at the minimum support price which is
fixed by the Government itself.
The Government has fixed the support price of rice Rs.530. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
the rice is not being procured at minimum support price by any procurement centre.
The middlemen and traders are procuring rice from the farmers at the rate of Rs.350
and Rs.375 per quintal. The farmers are selling rice at this rate because the
Government procurement centres are not procuring rice at minimum support price.
It is a fact that no Government can procure the entire production. How the farmers be
protected from this problem. There is one option for this that cost of production of
agriculture should be reduced and production should be increased. The farmers should
be provided facilities to compete in international market. The European countries are
continuously increasing subsidy for agriculture. We should also act in this direction.
Our country and other developing countries are facing the restrictions imposed by the
WTO. We have to provide more subsidy to the farmers to face this situation.
In the recent past the Food Minister said that the Government is not going to procure
rice from procurement agencies directly but it would try to pay the difference between
support price and market price to the farmers. I have to say in this regard that in Bihar
and in Eastern and Central U.P. the farmers have sold rice to middlemen and traders
at the rate of Rs.3 and Rs.3.50 to meet their needs.
The farmers of Uttar Pradesh have suffered a loss of Rs.15,000 crore. The target of
procurement of rice fixed by the Government is to be achieved through the same
middlemen. The farmers are not going to get any benefit. How the Government is
going to made good of this loss of Rs.15,000 crore.
The Eastern U.P. and Bihar are facing devastation due to floods. The Crop Insurance
Scheme has not been implemented so far. The Eastern U.P. and Bihar have suffered
loss of billions of rupees due to floods but the Government has not made a provision of
a single rupee to meet the loss.
The Government itself is admitting this point. In Eastern U.P. and in Bihar all sugar
mills are lying closed. The Government had admitted that it does not have capital for
making investment in agriculture sector but it is continuously investing in other sectors.
Hon’ble Prime Minister had said in this very House that we should switch over to
vegetable and fruits from traditional farming.
Paddy and wheat are most viable crops for farmers. When you are not able to provide
protection to these crops and support price to them, how you will be able to procure
vegetables or fruits which start rotting within 24 to 72 hours. In such a situation, there
will be no option left with farmers except begging.
If you suggest any alternative it should be positive one so that farmers are given
protection. In 1998, when Gorakhpur was affected by flood Prime Minister visited
there. There he had said that a concrete action plan would be formulated and farmers
and people of the area will get rid of flood forever. But three years have gone by and
people of Eastern U.P. and Bihar are still suffering from flood.
Today, the Government should seriously consider the anger prevailing among the
farmers. In order to reduce cost, subsidy should be given directly to the farmers. This
will give them more benefit and they will be able to produce more and compete in the
international market. Farmers of Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have
suffered loss and they should be compensated by the Union Government.
DR. JASWANT SINGH YADAV : Hon. Prime Minister has done commendable work by
providing credit card to farmers and introducing Crop Insurance Scheme. The crop of
millet has suffered a lot in Rajasthan.
The Government of India provided money to Rajasthan Government but it has not
procured the crop of millet. It refused to procure the crop on the plea that the quality of
millet was not good. We are talking about the interest of the farmers but farmers in
Rajasthan itself have suffered a lot. The crop of cotton as well as onion has got ruined
there. We all know that the Union Government can not reduce the
cost but the State Government can do so. New technology and seeds of high quality
should be introduced in the agriculture.
Today it is necessary to protect the interest of farmer. Farmers do not get appropriate
return. We all should try to improve the conditions of farmers.
SHRI V.M. SUDHEERAN: I strongly feel that the Doha Summit has caused more
problems and more difficulties to the farming community. So, WTO situation has to be
discussed in depth and all aspects have to come to the House very strongly, otherwise
we should not surrender ourselves to the interests of the foreign countries. We all
agree that the backbone of the Indian society has been the farmers.
We have been receiving reports through different parts of India including my own State
Kerala, where farmers are committing suicides. Most of the agricultural commodities in
our country, as a whole, and especially in Kerala, have been facing acute price fall. As
a result of this, the farmers are under severe financial stress and are not in a position
to repay the loans taken from banks and other financial institutions.
It is highly protestable to note that even after the declaration of minimum price for
natural rubber, the price is far below the notified minimum price. Though the Union
Government had declared the support price for copra, NAFED has not entered the
market for procurement of copra so far.
The plantation sector in Kerala especially coffee, tea, arecanut, etc., faces serious
crisis due to decline in the prices of these commodities. Paddy cultivation is also on the
verge of extinction as the cultivation has become uneconomical. Apart from this, the
intermittent natural calamities also made the life of farmers extremely miserable. May
be on consideration of political advantage, the Central Government has shown
extreme generosity to certain States whereas Kerala has been totally ignored.
I place on record the strong protest of the people of Kerala against the indifferent
attitude of the Union Government. Skin deep measures will not solve the
unprecedented serious situation being faced by the farming community.
There should be national policy and a farmer-friendly approach to face the situation
and save the farmers. Mere lip service will not do anything. So, let us find out the
resources from various quarters and set up a National Farmers’ Fund to help the
farmers in their interest and for their existence. Steps may be urgently taken for the
inclusion of natural rubber and coir as agricultural commodities under the WTO
Agreement on Agriculture. Import of natural rubber to India should not be permitted.
The tyre manufacturers may be asked to procure natural rubber ensuring declared
Minimum Support Price to the growers. NAFED may be asked to procure Copra
immediately. Steps may also be taken to ensure that the benefits of procurement
reaches the real growers. Steps may also be taken to restrict the import of palm oil and
the import duty of palm oil should be increased. Now the tariff rate and the import duty
of the palm oil has been reduced against the interest of the farmers of our country.
The people are totally disappointed and frustrated and they are protesting tooth and
nail against this decision. The bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka has
adversely affected some of our agricultural products. Steps must be taken to increase
the basic customs duty of edible oil. Substantial help may be provided for the re-
construction and rehabilitation of the plantation sector. Financial assistance should be
given for supporting paddy cultivation in this country.
The floor price for coffee, pepper etc. should be declared and this should be procured
by the system as has been devised by NAFED. The Government has withdrawn
subsidy on diesel, fertilizer, pesticides and on other agricultural inputs. As a result of
this, the price of diesel has increased from rupees five per litre to Rs.17 per litre.
Similarly, the prices of LPG, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs have risen sharply.
The wrong policies of the Government are responsible for the suicides of farmers. That
is against the interest of our country.
I would request the Government to come forward with some drastic and concrete
measures to save the farmers.
SHRI RAGHUNATH JHA: Last year the plight of farmers was discussed in the House
but of no use. Last year FCI had cheated the farmers of Bihar. Today the farmers and
labourers are in very miserable condition in the country.
Hon’ble Minister has made a statement that Paddy will not be procured in Bihar, only
rice will be procured. You yourself know that there is no rice mill in Bihar then
wherefrom you will procure rice. When Bihar was being divided, we demanded for a
special package.
At that time the hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs had very generously announced that
they were well acquainted with the situation in Bihar. We suffer losses every year from
the floods in rivers originating from Nepal.
Every year land erosion takes place from Farakka to Pahalgaon by Ganges river. The
Union Government have not done anything to help them. The Union Government have
set up new sugar mills in other states but not even a single factory has been set up in
Bihar.
Our Jute industry is closed. Today sugarcane farmers are facing problem of sending
their produce to sugar mills. When factories were set up in other states, why they were
not set up in Bihar. We produce mango, Litchi, Makhana in our area. Arrangements
should be made for cargo.
In this situation the farmers need assistance of the Government. Why were the farmers
not provided with credit cards? If this discrimination with farmers continues, we will
have to reconsider about the continuance of our support to Government. Relief and
assistance is provided to other areas if these become victim of national calamity but
this is not done in the case of Bihar.
DR. RAGHUVANSH PRASAD SINGH: The farmers of entire country are suffering and
committing suicide. This situation prevails in every State of the country. Almost all the
parties had demanded in this House for the constitution of a Standing Committee for
solution of the problems of the farmers because their problems are related to 18
departments.
The Government claims that the condition of the farmers has improved but if it so, why
are they committing suicide? Who is putting hurdle on the way of constitution of the
said Committee?
The farmers in Bihar are doubly sufferers.
They are being discriminated. In this situation, how the farmers of the country can
become self-sufficient? When the present Government came to power, it announced to
achieve the goal of hundred per cent increase in agricultural production during the next
10 years but the fact is that the production has decreased by 3 per cent.
In India, 16 crore families have been covered by Public Distribution System. The
Government fixed the price of wheat at Rs.9 per kg. for 10 crore families living above
poverty line. But this wheat could not be sold. Moreover, after decreasing the price up
to Rs.6,10 per kg, there is not taker of wheat.
The price of wheat for BPL families was fixed at Rs.4.50 per kg, even then nobody is
purchasing it. I would like to know as to how much money has been spent on the
storage and maintenance of six crore tonnes of wheat. Perhaps, the Government
would have incurred less expenditure on the distribution same quantity of wheat. On
the one hand, the poor are starving for want of foodgrains and on the other hand, it is
perishing.
The Annapoorna Yojana launched by Government has failed totally. The Government
is not even procuring the foodgrains.
In Ninth Five Year Plan, the Government incurred an expenditure of Rs.5 thousand
crore but the share of Bihar was only Rs.55 crore and the actual fund received by
Bihar was merely 25 crore. Not a single penny was given to Bihar to meet the problem
caused by floods and droughts. I would like to know why the milk from Patna is being
transported to Delhi? Why it is not being sent to Calcutta? What vested interest has
inspired the Government to do this? The Government should pay attention to all these
points.
SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL : The Government should seriously consider the
problems, like storage of crop and its sale, being faced by the farmers today. During
the last session, I had raised an issue regarding creation of a T.V. channel on
agriculture. But, I do not understand if there is any effort being made in this direction.
At present, the farmers do not get power or diesel. My area, Nasirpur is the largest
fertile area in Asia, but the ground level of the water has gone down there.
This Government deserve congratulation for increasing the minimum support price, but
the farmers are getting a support price not more than Rs. 360 to Rs. 362 instead of
declared support price of Rs. 522 to Rs. 540. The farmer has a large stock of grain
lying at his disposal, but it is not selling in the market. Besides, interest at higher rate is
also being recovered from him.
As a result, the farmer is compelled to commit suicide. On the one hand, the farmer
grows paddy, but on the other hand, rice mills and traders purchase the same paddy at
lower rates and sell rice instead. Moreover, the traders keep good quality of paddy with
them and they do not give due price to the farmers.
Under the changed circumstances, we need to maintain some sort of communication
channel with the farmers. If we are sincere about the welfare of the farmers, we should
create a T.V. channel on agriculture soon.
A.AGREE 20%
B.DISAGREE 70%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
A.AGREE 50%
B.DISAGREE 45%
c. neither agree nor disagreeà05%
A.AGREE 20%
B.DISAGREE à70%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
Question.5. suicides cases increases day
by day due to loan access or other
problems.
A.AGREE 60%
B.DISAGREE 30%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
A.AGREE 70%
B.DISAGREE 15%
c. neither agree nor disagree15%
Question.7.government provide water
facilities to the farmer is necessary trough
electricity.
A.AGREE 85%
B.DISAGREE 10%
c. neither agree nor disagree05%
A.AGREE 70%
B.DISAGREE à20%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
Question.9.government should know about
the capacity of the soil per year to increase
the production of crop.
A.AGREE à90%
B.DISAGREE à05%
c. neither agree nor disagreeà05%
A.AGREE 60%
B.DISAGREE à30%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
Question.11. if your crop destroyed by any
case then government provide you any kind
of insurance facilities .
A.AGREE à20%
B.DISAGREE 75%
c. neither agree nor disagreeà05%
A.AGREE 80%
B.DISAGREE à05%
c. neither agree nor disagree15%
Question.13. government are making new
policies to reduce the investment of money
on the crop.
A.AGREE 15%
B.DISAGREE à75%
c. neither agree nor disagree10%
Conclusion
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