Back Ground

In the old days wealth came mainly from Agriculture (Jai Kisan!) and to some extent from extraction of forest produce and minerals and their transformation into useful products. Today, wealth is also from Industry and the many businesses that use Information and Digital technologies to improve processes and use resources more effectively (Jai Udyogan!) Of course to ensure that such wealth remained that of the State whose people brought about it and was not confiscated or otherwise taken away by people from elsewhere, the State had to have a protection and security force, the Military (Jai Jawan!). The, Madras and the Bengal famine caused by the British confiscating the food grains from India for Queen Victoria’s Coronation in 1876-77 and again in 1943 for their War effort elsewhere, and many others during their rule must be remembered.

Today the wealth in large amounts comes also, directly from the intellect and artifice of the people, as ideas, technology and design and utilization of computers and information technology and automation, that allows for greater efficiency of use of available resources leading to greater productivity and improved and longer lasting products. Such factors must also, be made applicable to Agriculture and Agricultural wealth also, be similarly, increased.

Unfortunately, the Agriculturalists have mostly not got the benefit of increase in this kind of wealth, because they are not participants in it. It is but natural that if you are not standing in the queue or sitting at the banquet table, you will not be served.

At this time, we need to help the Agriculturalists to a better understanding of the situation they are in now and what is likely to happen in the coming few years, and plan accordingly in order to enable them to enjoy a better and more productive life while still continuing to be involved / associated with Agriculture. Every farmer needs to realize that, whether he likes it or not, such consolidation and mechanization will be the reality within a generation. Hence, it is better to recognize the inevitability and do what needs to be done at the earliest in a properly planned manner.

Those who disagree with such a pooling proposal should ask themselves the question – ‘What will happen to your Farm with the continuing unavailability of labour and the unwillingness of the next generation to take up farming, who will then look after the farm and what will be its condition. The answer underscores the inevitability and urgency.

The Agricultural Lands Ceiling Act, limiting the holding of Agricultural land to 18 standard acres (irrigated) or 54 acres (Dry) may have helped breakup a few Zamindari holdings in some parts of the Country that benefited a few land tillers, but across the majority of the Country it did nothing else but within a few generations reduced the land holdings to unviable small plots. This Act needs to be reviewed and even done away with.

Today most of our farmers are marginal farmers with holdings of less than one tenth of a hectare to 2 hectares or, are the even more stressed tenant farmers. Their desperation makes them focus on the plant or crop and not on the soil, and hence, seek more fertilizer whereas, if they could have maintained their soil right, they would have helped their crops grow much better. The small farmers are also, not able to gain access to resources and technologies due to lack of financial ability and knowledge. Unfortunately, the Government also, prevents them from marketing their produce where they can get better prices, it compels them to market through local market yards / Mandi’s. This restriction needs to be removed. The new Farmer Laws are a step in the right direction and now need proper implementation. The formation of Food Producer Organizations in recent years has helped the farmers to better market their produce, but such organizations are only viable for the present generation of farmers as the dis-inclination of the next generation remains. To stand the test of time farming has to be Industrialized/Corporatized.

These conditions lead to many farmers resorting to ‘adharmic’ and many maleficent and unethical practices such as adulteration, artificial colouring of fruits and vegetables, use of chemicals and hormones for forced ripening and over use of pesticides and fertilizers. Also, availing unrepayable loans and then to demand that the Government waive the loans, or fall into despair and commit suicide. The loan waiver schemes are obviously very unfair to the many farmers who had repaid their loans and who now would also, be encouraged to join the others and stand-in-line for a loan waiver / handout, further adding to the burden on the Government.

Such loan waiver schemes or increasing of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procuring stock that the Government is unable to store and distribute effectively are not the real answer, only being short term temporary measures ‘band aids’ that do not address the real cause.

The Government now needs to recognize its predecessor Governments failing in this regard and work to make farms large enough to be viable and profitable again, especially in these times of growing population, disappearing agricultural labour and, hence, the need for proper land and crop management and for extensive mechanization, intensive cultivation perhaps also, combined with dairy, pisciculture, apiary etc as applicable.

The real solution is to be found in better utilization of all available resources, as given below.

But before considering the solution we need to take a look at what such a solution should provide.

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