• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Agriculture policy

V. Kumaresan, Madurai

This refers to `Co-operative, not corporate agriculture' (Business Line, August 7). Agricultural prosperity has to be attained from two angles: One, by increasing the production and, two, by increasing productivity. During the first-generation reform per iod, only the strategies to increase the agricultural production were adopted, which yielded an increase of foodgrain production at only 1.68 per cent per annum.

This increase is less than the population growth of 2 per cent per annum during the same period. No significant steps were initiated to increase food production on productivity front during the reform period. Any viable activity will flourish with profit able consideration, if only, the welfare of the workforce involved directly in the respective activity is taken care of.

In India, though Green Revolution and White Revolution succeeded to considerable extent, the outcomes have been altogether different. The benefits of the Green Revolution were distributed unevenly among the labourers, small farmers and large farmers and landlords.

But, the White Revolution was beneficial mostly to small milkmen, as pointed out by the author. The benefits have to percolate down still further, to the lower rung of the agricultural workforce. Instead of designing strategies for the percolation of ben efits, the agricultural committee at New Delhi has recommended contract farming.

Discussion on contract farming is nothing but a strategy to increase the production alone with detrimental effect on the Indian ecology and environment besides, to the agriculturists. Agricultural policy itself has got so many lacuna. Policy approach its elf warrants lot of changes. The present policy stresses only on the per capita production with least concern for per capita availability and accessibility of the mass.

Contract farming development will not bring out any desirable change in the living style and standard of agriculturists, including their nutritional intake. The national exchequer is diverted to meet the excess grain stock cost by starving millions of th e masses simultaneously. Is it a prudent policy? Let not the planners commit the same mistakes as done in the past.

In a condition wherein Indian agriculture has to brave the new world order, let us not pride ourselves about the total agricultural production. The real pride lies in eliminating tragic instances wherein small farmers are ending their lives because of th eir inability to repay loans.

Agriculture is a land-based activity. The policy framed on agriculture must be suitable to the homeland and the mass of millions depending on it.