Ruined Rural Economy - Doomed Farmers
"Government official are honest to the last drop of their blood, while sharing the booty of poor farmers after harvesting"
On March 25, 2007 my dear Ezine readers, you would be shocked to read that yet another poorer Indian farmer had committed suicide in the State of Maharashtra because while Government has failed to fulfill her responsibilities on one side, the Indian private business community black marketers have plundered and drained out the last drop of sweat and blood from poverty ridden farmers on the other. The poor farmer, when noticed that his sugarcane crop is getting spoiled, he was left with no choice but embrace death. Committing suicide is the last resort of achieving ultimate salvation from all the miseries of being a human in the world. What a shame for Indian economist and people reverse agro sector economy?
Fate of Indian farmers was doomed on the very first day, when Man Mohan-P Chidambaram-Montek Singh (MM-PC-MS) economists have presented their first anti farmers' budget. It had opened the floodgates for Indian businessmen to plunder poor farmers. Its negative impact was also seen in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well where import-export business of grains and other agro products with in these countries have affected each country's farmer's residual income. I have observed as to how businessmen can go to any extend to create an artificial demand in the market. The Government's hawks are ever ready to plunder Indian farmers at each and every opportunity. A few examples as to how farmers are plundered have been summarized as under:
oOne; large leverage given to market procuring center superintend in-charge in grading the quality of grains variety of wheat, maize, rice and pulse. These inspectors would invariable blackmail farmers by initially placing the grain produce in lower C or D grade. When farmer would begin pleading for genuine price, hawks would bargain by upgrading the produce after pocketing fifty percent of the difference in prize from one grade to other. This business is going on ever since the new market procurement policy has been adopted. The farmer is so helpless that he can do nothing.
oTwo; simultaneously when farmer brings the grain in the market place, the official despite having totally free would never weigh farmers produce immediately on arrival. The hawks would delay the weighing and bag filling process so late that it would be invariably near dusk, when farmers generally plan to rush back to home. After creating artificial emergency, the government hawks would now, with the help of labor, pilfer away anything one to five quintals of grain. If some one else is also accompanying the farmer, he may loss less but it is certain that every poor farmer is looted openly like this.
oThree; Now while weighing itself, the labor is so trained that every bag is filled excess grain varying from a kilogram to five kilograms. After poor farmer leaves, all officials get together at night to account for and share the white collared swindlers booty. Let me rest assure my readers that these official are honest to the last drop of their blood while sharing the plundered booty of farmers. They steal poor farmers nearly twenty to fifty tons of grains each day. If government had forced the farmers to sell grains to state owned market cooperatives, then rest assure, it is some thing from seventy-five to hundred tons a day in large markets of Punjab and foot hills of Uttrakhand.
On 28 March 2007, our Agricultural Minister had announced to import 30 Lakh tons of wheat. What a great shame for the Indian farmers. The Minister had not only directly slapped every Indian farmer's face with audacity but had also spattered at their face by announcing wheat import at a time when wheat crop has just began to arrive in the Indian market. These leaders have neither any responsibility towards nation nor her citizens. How cruelly our Agricultural Minister had already ensured that black marketers would make millions by plundering poor farmers during wheat crops harvesting season? The intentions of our white collared swindler leaders are well defined from their day to day activities. Indian farmers had to unite and rise to throw out such leaders and prevent further ruining of Indian farming Sectors.
How appalling it is that while Agro sector growth is pegged at the rate of 2.7% the industry is 10% nearly four times higher? The loss of farming sector is loss of over 75% rural people employment. It would also result in mass exodus of unskilled labors towards urban areas in search of green pastures thus increasing crimes. As per economic pundits, the Agricultural produce has taken a sharp dip of 18.5% in growth during current financial year itself. The logic of SEZ and present government's attempts in creating SEZ are not only going to render nearly half of the rural area people jobless but also over 25% families homeless.
Our national priorities of MM-PC-MS trio has by and large fascinated our Left parties leadership so much that to remained glued with the power chairs, they have become blindfolded to the real problems of farmers and poor at all. Why there is no hue and cry by left parties at Nandigram shameful demonstration of muscle power to poor farmers. The State Police indulging in helpless poor farmer's women rape is other hind side of left silence in supporting the wrong. The SEZ of Nandigram or anywhere else in the country would deliver less but bleed poverty ridden locals more.
My dear esteem readers would be aghast to know that the comparative effect of various countries governments on creating SEZ is similar in nature in third world and developing countries. The World Bank debt sword carrot has tamed most of the poor country's leadership to dance to Western countries economic policies. How badly it has ruined Indian farming sector could be seen from sky rocking prices of eatables where no common man can feed himself. The 20% targeted growth in Industrial Sector and nearly 2.7% growth of Farming Sector itself speaks about the government's intention in prioritizing economic policies.
My analysis is not to please any individual but educating world poor countries farming people that until unless they unite and make concerted efforts in resolving the basic issues of Food, Cloth and Shelter (FCS) of their citizens. I will make further endeavor in deliberating as to how to revive farming sector of poor countries without compromising the growth of a country?
You would be surprise to know that over 8% of agricultural land is lying uncultivated in various Asian countries. The Government's efforts to bring more area under cultivation are further upset in most of these countries where the menace of terrorism is prevalent like Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and some of the African countries. As I advocate that States are for the people and not the people for the State, therefore, every Government has the basic obligatory function of providing FCS to her citizen. The failure of most of the South East Asian state governments have already destabilized a large number of communities residing in those areas. The large scale migrations of Bangladeshi Muslims in neighboring countries in search of green pastures speak of people's will of moving towards already over starved people.
The future of farmers in all the third world countries is not only marred with bad states economic policies but also doomed by corrupt and insensitive bureaucracies and always profit earning Business communities in Asian Countries. The major sufferings of a farmer lie in the hands of Industrial predominant economies. A few important tangible factor causing sever setbacks to farmers' growths are:
oOne; Bad State harvest crop procurement and distribution systems where the entire leverage is left to the corrupt official at field. These officials either delay the procurements or prematurely close grain centers after getting in nexus with local businessmen.
oTwo; Poor farmers are churned between dishonest officials, profit seeking businessmen and local opportunist black marketers. Infact, the government policies are filled with various loopholes which are exploited by vested people. How farmer is made to sell his produce is as shameless an episode as shameless of parading an undressed pious woman in public. The government vultures managing countries agro economies are, by and large; always ready to victimize the poor farmers. During my visit to various grain markets created to facilitate sale of produce I have come across four major abnormalities giving way to embezzlement:-
o Firstly, the market officials knowingly make most of the small farmers to wait for prolonged period till his patience runs out. When farmer agrees to fulfill various terms and conditions of officials, they allow entry of produce into market. I have observed sometimes an honest farmer would wait over a week to sell his produce due to officials' apathy. When a farmer's produce is not weighed immediately on arrival, he not only suffers financially but also bears looses of drying of produce, work in field revenue and delay in preparation of land for next crop. The officials take advantage of his helplessness.
o Secondly, I have witnessed whatsoever means a farmer devices, the labor would weigh less his produce varying from 50 to 100 kilograms or more. The cunningness with which labors perform less weighing is demoralizing on farmers. I have seen an Indian farmer trying to prove his point with weighing men to correctly weigh their produce in Bazpur Market of Uttrakhand in India. Similarly, I have seen as to how businessman was weighing less fishes while procuring from fishermen in Mullaitivu area of Sri Lanka. Such conditions common in Asian sub continent. My readers would be surprised to know that clerks and inspectors involved in market produce procurement dealing have earned millions through proxy cheating. Why I call is Proxy Cheating because the poor farmer is aware that officials are weighing less but he remains helpless of official's threat of not weighing his grain produce in time and making him wait longer.
o Thirdly; Government's grading liberty given to officials of produce is another weapon of victimizing poor farmers. I have observed that worst quality of food grains are being procured as best grade and vice versa. A large number of farmers suffer due to poor character of officials. Most of the times, I have seen in Punjab in India and Sri Lanka farmers fighting with officials to get their produce upgraded to get the righteous prices. The officials on the contrary, despite knowing well that the quality of produce is superior, would always initially grade low and after a few hours of pleading would try to negotiate their share of cost difference going to accrue to farmer.
o Fourthly; the most disturbing trend of exploiting farmers is entry of private businessmen in grain sector. Businessmen have co-located their procurement shops alongwith government markets. The official under one or the other pretext ensure that minimum 25% farmers sell their produce to businessmen at marginal difference of rupees five to twenty-fives. Ever increasing dependency of farmers in developing countries towards government made the business communities greedy and hungry.
oWhere should a poor farmer go under such circumstances? Though most of the Governments have implement various policies benefiting farmers but ultimately such policies only helped the corrupt. Every farmer generally undergoes a few traumatic experiences before harvesting crop. These are:
o One; the cost of tilling and preparing field for crop sowing is very tedious and cumbersome process. The cost of preparing field varies with intangible factors such as rain or irrigation facilities, cost of diesel, accessibility of tractors and other farming equipments and locally available labor force.
o Two; the major setback to farmers now days are the procurement and quality of hybrid seed to poor farmers. As most of the seed producing units are dissipatedly managed, often over 25% to 35% seeds remain infertile. This loss is only known nearly after three to four weeks of sowing when farmer can do anything to revive the loss.
o Three; the period after germination in the care and maintenance of crop till harvesting is very crucial. The growth of crop by and large is affected by fertilizer, irrigation, weeds removing and natural onslaught. In the month of March most of the North Indian farmers have suffered medium to heavy losses of mustered crop due to unprecedented hail storm. Most of the small farmers' financial backbones have broken. Now these farmers would be buried under MM-PC-MS bank loan gimmicks to only commit suicide. The new trend of loan economy has ruined most of the developing countries poor farmers' lives.
o Four; Sri Jagan Nath while debating his land reform plan with Sri Vinoba Bhave and Pundit Nehru in 1954 has drawn a very elaborated plan of managing farming sector based on his experiences, but alas! The Indian leadership is even today posing more faith in Western oriented views than original Indian thoughts. His plan included equal land right on equal social distribution of all castes and creeds. The present distribution of land holding in most the developing countries is still under the grip of landlords. The role of large farmers further negates small farmer's social and financial security.
o Five; after crop is ready to harvest, the farmers agony of selling at reasonable price begins. The above noted issues of market affect his sale and earnings. Ultimately farmers only earn to recycle his earning to sow next crop without any financial security. I have visited a few small farmers who do not have even rupees 100 income during lean crop period. They even can not buy pulses, condiments and vegetables to sustain their families. It is a matter of indignity for any country that the farmers who feed the entire nation sleep with one meal.
oWhy such no government has shown any concern for dwindling agro Sector economy because the poor farmers can not give large sum of perks, donations and contribution to party coffin corpus. My theories of 20/80 and 80/20 are completely true in utilization of resources in developing countries. What I mean that 20% of urban population controls 80% of farmers produce and use 80% of resources leaving 20% for rural population.
I suggest the following to overcome ever increasing problem of farmers:
oOne; rejuvenate national original crops seed techniques;
oTwo; less dependents on chemical fertilizations;
oThree; encourage large scale compost fertilizer techniques;
oFour; bring over 25% more barren land under cultivation;
oFive; remove middlemen between farmer and business community;
oSix; less reliance on Loan Economy Concept (LEC) of crops;
oSeven; compensate for natural losses without delay.
oEight; reframe priorities of agro growth through old farming techniques;
oNine; recycle bio waste for fertilizer purposes ;
oTenth; create local transparent market managed and operated by farmers cooperatives;
My endeavor in saving doomed farmers fate would always open new avenues for development in rural areas. There is definite need of forming a new agro sector policy to rejuvenate and revitalize our sick and shrinking farming economy. When every women in her house keeps 10% to 25% of her budget for food grains than why can't government plan to uplift our farming sector.
Katkut
Agro: Wholesale importer of agricultural
products
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