The whole India is engaged in elections, the16th Lok Sabha elections and also some of the states are
having Assembly elections, most of the parties have finalized their manifestos
with a pack of poll promises. Like in every election, political parties
consider the farmers and agriculture are very serious subject before going to the poll, and soon after the results they
ignore the problems and left to the farmers' fate. Farmers have to blame
themselves for their perils since they are not active enough to make the
political parties as the agrarian crisis is a priority agenda. During the
election process, the farmers and farmer groups are working for their
individual causes and political motives.
Most of the farmer unions are affiliated with the political parties which work
for their electoral prospects and
farmers also forget about their agricultural problems , busy with local issues
by dividing themselves in to social class, economic status and
political party basis.
Each and every class of society have been achieving their demands by unity though they are a small group of people. But being a 55% percent of the population and a biggest vote bank in India, the farming community failed to achieve their wishes and get rid of their problems. If the farmers have collectively agitated on their farming issues they will definitely get benefitted, but they are mediocre educated, lack of leadership skills, lack of direction and socially segregated which are the hindrances for their collective bargaining. In the 2014 elections , the political parties must consider the agrarian crisis is a prioritized issue to help the Indian farmers in all aspects such as making agriculture as a profitable profession and providing a respectable economic and social status to the farmers.
If the political parties really have a commitment and
affection on farmers, they should include the below said farmers' wish list in
their manifestos and these must be implemented once they come to power.
1.
Implementation of Prof. M. S. Swaminathan
Committee’ recommendations (National Commission of Farmers).
2.
Special Financial plan (Budget) is required
for agriculture and agro allied industries. (Not included irrigation).
3.
All farmers need to be provided
Institutional credit with nominal interest rates i.e 4% and the amount should
be based on their crop pattern and farm size.
4.
9 hours uninterrupted quality power supply
to agriculture ( Day time).
5.
MNREGS program should be linked up with
agricultural operations like transplantation, weeding, harvesting and so on
which can solve the man power shortage problems to the farmers. Panchayats have
to co-ordinate with Department of rural development in the allocation of MNREG
works based on the villagers’ discretion.
6.
Agriculture, Revenue, Irrigation, marketing
& warehouses, animal husbandry, fisheries, such as agro allied department
ministers should be farmed as special cabinet ( Empowered Group of Ministers
for Agriculture) which works for farmers empowerment. This cabinet should meet
every month, the issues to discussed and resolved. The group should consider the
suggestions of all farmers’ organizations, peasant organizations and voluntary
organizations.
7.
The CACP(Commission for agriculture Cost and
prices) should be declared as an autonomous organization, it should be
restructured with new terms and references. CACP should consider all prescribed
12 factors and also other issues like
inflation, cost of living and losses due to import - export policies while formulating the price
recommendations.
8.
Risk mitigation fund for bonus on food grains to compensate
the losses by natural calamities if anything occurred. Establish a Price
stabilization fund ( Market intervention fund) to insulate the farmers from
market price fluctuations.
9.
A required capacity of warehouses should be
constructed since we don't have enough godown facilities to store the grains.
The market yard godowns should be renovated and fully utilized, funds need to
be allocated for market yards development. Value added agriculture , food
processing unites, supply chain facilities must be created.
10. Establish
a farmers’ income commission for measuring the farmers’ economic conditions,
all old age farmers should get monthly pension for their social security and
all peasants’ children should get free education with hostel facility.
11. Empowerment
of women farmers like capacity building and giving right to land ownership.
Allocating unused lands to women self help groups / Dalit women groups. The
farm wages should be equal without any gender difference.
12. National
Rain fed Area Authority (NRAA) has been working on cloud seeding and artificial
rains; in fact all these efforts are not really helpful to the farmers.
Incorporate a State Rain fed/Dry land area authority to identify the suitable
crops, harnessing the water resources for at least to cultivate two acres of
land and save the lives of draught animal.
Identifying the viable alternative livelihood activities. Protecting and
preserving the water bodies like natural lakes, ponds and village tanks.
13. Establishing
crop based growers group (Kind of Collective farming /General Body of farmers Ex:
Mulkanor cooperative, Ethonda PACS) for power of collective bargaining. The
government should provide the support like credit facilities, subsidized
inputs, Special markets, warehouses, processing units and so on.
14. State
owned Agriculture Finance Corporation to be established. It shall be to assist
in the development of agriculture and agricultural industries by making loans
to farmers, co-operative societies, private companies, public bodies, and other
persons engaging in agriculture or agricultural industries.
15. A farmers friendly seed bill should be formulated
that shall regulate the quality of seeds, sales, imports and exports. Plans
should be evolved for 100% certified seed replacement. The government should
allot some funds to agriculture universities to develop hybrid verities with
the association of the farmers and the seed should be supplied through Seed
Corporation. Promoting the indigenous (native varieties) seeds by incorporating
the village level seed bank groups / Seed villages (like Dwacra/SHG) with incentives and that
will create a network among them to share and exchange.
16. Promoting
Organic farming and sustainable cultivation practices. Encouragement programs
for organic fertilizers, conversion of solid waste to bio – fertilizers.
17. Agriculture
should be modernized by Information technology and Bio technology. Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) is the best possible way to create awareness
among the farming community which is not
only on prevailing prices but also about the possibility of exploitation by
middlemen. In order to access the ICT,
free mobile phones to be provided to the prospective farmers each cost Rs.1500
which connects the markets digitally.
18. Decentralization
of Powers to farmers in Co-operatives societies and Market Yards to strengthen
the co-operative system.
19. Encouragement
programs on back yard farming and family farming in urban locations.
20. Promoting
the Agro tourism.
21. Promoting
Exceptional Agriculture Regions for farming, the integrated approach of EARs will
be including all farm-related schemes with respective panchayats and local
farmers. They must be empowered to decide which crop to grow, what seeds to
use, whether they should take to organic farming or use chemicals, whom to sell
to and at what price. This EARs will encourage organic farming, aromatic,
medicinal plants and exotic plants for international markets.
22. Subsidy
up to 50 % on Solar powered water pumps for all farmers .
23. Successful
corporate companies should spend at least 1% of their net profits for
agriculture through government networks which is the part of their CSR, the
spending amount will be eligible for tax benefits.
24. The formation of cooperative societies which facilitates
the farm implements on lease basis. Encourage the private companies for custom
hiring tractors and farm machinery. Formation of sufficient number of agro
service centers in entire state for better extension services, each center must
cater services for at least 4000 acres under supervision of sufficient
extension staff. These centers also provide farm machinery on rental basis like
custom hiring centers.
25. Establish
Rural Business Hubs for horticulture produces. These rural business hubs will
serve as one-stop-shops that offer various agricultural inputs and services to
farmers, including weather information, crop management advice, and access to
markets and finance. will improve the horticulture produces value chain in the
region by increasing productivity and linking farmers with private retailers/
processors and other stakeholders, leading to increased income at all stages -
production, processing, distribution and retail.To increase farmer incomes in
the region, these hubs are teaming up with public and private sector partners
to demonstrate best practices and strengthen producer-processor-retailer
linkages to better address the challenges related to production, price, and
marketing that farmers face in the region.
26. We
have around 50% of tenant farmers; very few of them are getting bank loans. Government
should arrange some fund as a guarantee for banks towards tenant farmer loans.
27. Crop
insurance schemes should be developed by making village as a unit which must
cover all risks from sowing to marketing with an affordable premium. The loss
claim settlements should be cleared
within 60 days of the calamity.
28. Comprehensive
Land Usage policy: The farming land area should be calculated as per population
growth statistics and based on that only the agricultural land has to be
converted to any other purpose.
29. Mobile
clinics for Draught/Dairy/Herd animals, medical camps must be conducted in
villages with certain schedules.
30. Protect
and promoted the native breeds ( Nativ cows/ Ongole breeds), bull,cow and
buffalo production programs. Financial medical assistance to Gosalas ( Cow
herds).
31. Improved
Sheep/goat/Pig herd programs, loan facilities, Insurance facilities. ( Small
farmers and landless laborers owned these herds) Meat processing, production
and export facilities in rain fed regions.
