Farmer’s night without end
It is time for the country to undergo a deep introspection into the causes of farmland suicides because they are not prompted by natural calamities but by a man-made malady.
It is time for the country to undergo a deep introspection into the causes of farmland suicides because they are not prompted by natural calamities but by a man-made malady.
Unhappiness on the farms is growing first because first wrong objectives were set and then there were intentional errors in measuring growth.
Export restrictions are a form of regressive taxation because they are imposed when domestic prices skyrocket but there is no concerted action when prices collapse.
Farmer interests are ill served by the fake erudition of questionable academics and farmer representatives, who do not farm. Suicides are a natural corollary of the policy mess
Vested interests, including global food giants, constantly influence Indian farm policy, which is like getting GM seed manufacturers to frame food-labelling guidelines.
Indian agriculture cannot be jump-started without plant variety research, a developed food processing industry, inter-ministerial coordination and favourable trade agreements.
Despite shortcomings, India can achieve higher GDP growth but only when farmers’ views are incorporated in the farm policy fine print, driving the country towards equitable growth.
Misgovernance and muddled policy have transformed an unequally prosperous rural society to one that is equally distressed, as farmers accept their fate.
No government can come up with effective farm policies without listening to critical inputs from farmers and farmers cannot survive on lip service and political posturing.
Disconnected politicians assume that policies prepared by bureaucrats guarantee their success. The devil is in the details though and numerous imponderables throw them off track