Farming Needs A Paradigm Change
Farmers in Vidharbha region of Maharashtra have been committing suicide due to over grown debts, and hunger. This was a case with Andhra farmers too till the recent past.
Malnutrition too, is rampant in the northern and eastern part of the same and adjoining region.
Our Prime Minister have come and gone. A 'package' was announced. Two more of them parted with their life soon after.
Mind you, this is a rich state. The government at the center and the state is same. But still they can't think of a way to prevent these suicides.
I will think it for them. I have a bit of farming land available with me, therefore I do have bit of insight.
Agriculture accounts for 20 per cent of India's Gross Domestic Product GDP) and 58 per cent of Indian population depends on agriculture therefore,
farming needs a change, and a revolutionary one at that.
One problem with these farmers is cotton. Cotton is a Cash Crop i.e. it is primarily grown for money. Its not a Food Crop, which can be used for our consumption.
Cash Crops are generally high risk, high reward. Farmers take loan for seeds, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides, and wait for the profits to pay them back and make money. But its not that simple.
Cotton is a difficult crop to grow. It will only grow in warm, humid climates or in warm climates with adequate irrigation.
The demand for fertilizers and pesticides are enormously high as compared to other crops. To aid mechanical harvesting, highly dangerous chemical defoliants are used, some of which are known to cause birth defects.
For e.g., the Union Carbide plant at Bhopal, site of the world's worst industrial disaster, was producing carbamate pesticides largely for use on cotton.
Due to extra fertilizer, irrigation, and pesticides requirement, success rate for this crop is low. But to repay the debt, and due to impending crop failure fear, farmers grow this crop in large amounts. As a result, we have a bumper crop.
Unfortunately, prices for major cash crops are set in commodity markets with global scope, with some local variation based on freight costs and local supply and demand balance.
A consequence of this is that a nation, region, or individual producer relying on such a crop may suffer low prices should a bumper crop elsewhere lead to excess supply on the markets.
This means not only the loss for the farmer, but also the inability to pay back the debts.
Along with this large amounts of precious water and fertile land is used to grow cotton as a cash crop to repay debts, whilst there are shortages of agricultural land and water for food crops to feed the people who live there.
My suggestion would be to strike a balance between Cash and Food crops. One has never heard of a farmer suicide or malnutrition in so called poor state like Uttar Pradesh.
This is because, though farmer there do rely on cash crops like sugar cane, Mangoes, but a large share of their fertile land is also used for vegetable and other food crops like potatoes, grains etc.
Food crops are consumption oriented. Demand and supply also decide the price here, but a farmer's family would not die of hunger or malnutriton if his price is not achieved. The family can feed on it, but certainly one can't eat Cotton, Jute or Coffee!
So government must ensure that a balanced farming between Cash and Food is the need of the hour. And anyway, increasing reliance on cash crops tends to have adverse, long term environmental consequences.
Terms poor and poverty are used frequently with the farmers. We need to change that. The purpose is to increase the productivity and nutritional quality of the plants.
Productivity can be increased by making the plants resistant to fungus, bacteria and virus while the nutritional quality can be improved by making the plant resistant to adverse condition like drought and salinity.
Genetically Modified (GM) foods are an answer. GM potato developed have four to six times increase in tuber yield, 35 per cent to 45 per cent increase in protein and an increases in amino acid.
Then we should also move towards non traditional farming like growing aromatic and medicinal plants. These plants can grow in any type of land, they don't require much water, and since they give a quaint aroma, animals and insects stay away from them.
Needless to add, due to huge demand in market especially drug market, they are big money spinners. They can change the life style of Indian farmers. Medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Sarpagandha, Kalmegha, Mint are very profitable.
Jatropa based diesel is the next big thing in India. Ethanol blending in petrol, which is eco-friendly too, is here to stay, and has a big global market. If you do not believe me - ask Brazil.
If you can't go that far - go and visit Central Institute Of Medicinal And Aromatic Plants, Lucknow. They have been changing life of the farmers.
Malnutrition too, is rampant in the northern and eastern part of the same and adjoining region.
Our Prime Minister have come and gone. A 'package' was announced. Two more of them parted with their life soon after.
Mind you, this is a rich state. The government at the center and the state is same. But still they can't think of a way to prevent these suicides.
I will think it for them. I have a bit of farming land available with me, therefore I do have bit of insight.
Agriculture accounts for 20 per cent of India's Gross Domestic Product GDP) and 58 per cent of Indian population depends on agriculture therefore,
farming needs a change, and a revolutionary one at that.
One problem with these farmers is cotton. Cotton is a Cash Crop i.e. it is primarily grown for money. Its not a Food Crop, which can be used for our consumption.
Cash Crops are generally high risk, high reward. Farmers take loan for seeds, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides, and wait for the profits to pay them back and make money. But its not that simple.
Cotton is a difficult crop to grow. It will only grow in warm, humid climates or in warm climates with adequate irrigation.
The demand for fertilizers and pesticides are enormously high as compared to other crops. To aid mechanical harvesting, highly dangerous chemical defoliants are used, some of which are known to cause birth defects.
For e.g., the Union Carbide plant at Bhopal, site of the world's worst industrial disaster, was producing carbamate pesticides largely for use on cotton.
Due to extra fertilizer, irrigation, and pesticides requirement, success rate for this crop is low. But to repay the debt, and due to impending crop failure fear, farmers grow this crop in large amounts. As a result, we have a bumper crop.
Unfortunately, prices for major cash crops are set in commodity markets with global scope, with some local variation based on freight costs and local supply and demand balance.
A consequence of this is that a nation, region, or individual producer relying on such a crop may suffer low prices should a bumper crop elsewhere lead to excess supply on the markets.
This means not only the loss for the farmer, but also the inability to pay back the debts.
Along with this large amounts of precious water and fertile land is used to grow cotton as a cash crop to repay debts, whilst there are shortages of agricultural land and water for food crops to feed the people who live there.
My suggestion would be to strike a balance between Cash and Food crops. One has never heard of a farmer suicide or malnutrition in so called poor state like Uttar Pradesh.
This is because, though farmer there do rely on cash crops like sugar cane, Mangoes, but a large share of their fertile land is also used for vegetable and other food crops like potatoes, grains etc.
Food crops are consumption oriented. Demand and supply also decide the price here, but a farmer's family would not die of hunger or malnutriton if his price is not achieved. The family can feed on it, but certainly one can't eat Cotton, Jute or Coffee!
So government must ensure that a balanced farming between Cash and Food is the need of the hour. And anyway, increasing reliance on cash crops tends to have adverse, long term environmental consequences.
Terms poor and poverty are used frequently with the farmers. We need to change that. The purpose is to increase the productivity and nutritional quality of the plants.
Productivity can be increased by making the plants resistant to fungus, bacteria and virus while the nutritional quality can be improved by making the plant resistant to adverse condition like drought and salinity.
Genetically Modified (GM) foods are an answer. GM potato developed have four to six times increase in tuber yield, 35 per cent to 45 per cent increase in protein and an increases in amino acid.
Then we should also move towards non traditional farming like growing aromatic and medicinal plants. These plants can grow in any type of land, they don't require much water, and since they give a quaint aroma, animals and insects stay away from them.
Needless to add, due to huge demand in market especially drug market, they are big money spinners. They can change the life style of Indian farmers. Medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Sarpagandha, Kalmegha, Mint are very profitable.
Jatropa based diesel is the next big thing in India. Ethanol blending in petrol, which is eco-friendly too, is here to stay, and has a big global market. If you do not believe me - ask Brazil.
If you can't go that far - go and visit Central Institute Of Medicinal And Aromatic Plants, Lucknow. They have been changing life of the farmers.
posted by Unknown at 10:22 AM
<< Home