\n
![\"maharashtra-farmer-strike-7591\"](\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/maharashtra-farmer-strike-7591.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u2022The bulk of farmers in India have no choice but to do farming. Land is the only asset they have, farming is the only skill they possess, and unless they grow food many of them will face starvation. Agriculture, despite its declining share in total output (GDP), is also the largest employer. In India\u2019s economy, the agriculture sector has primacy.<\/p>\n
\u2022Only memorable statement on agriculture was when he repeated the Prime Minister\u2019s promise to \u201cdouble farmers\u2019 income in 6 years\u201d and when asked if they had meant \u2018real\u2019 income or \u2018nominal\u2019 income, there was deafening silence.<\/p>\n
\u2022Government erred grievously on the issue of minimum support prices (MSP). In its manifesto and in the election campaign, the BJP had unequivocally promised that it would implement the M S Swaminathan Committee\u2019s recommendation that MSP should be cost plus 50 per cent. In government, the BJP not only reneged on its promise, it dealt a body blow to farmers by denying them even a reasonable increase in MSP in its first three years. The numbers speak for themselves:<\/p>\n
\u2022Graveist error was demonetisation. Mr Harish Damodaran has convincingly demonstrated how demonetisation has crippled the post-harvest agricultural economy (see The Crops of Wrath, Indian Express, June 12, 2017). Agricultural products are bought and sold largely in cash. Demonetisation dried up liquidity and prices have crashed. According to Mr Damodaran, never before have prices of tomato, potato and onion crashed at the same time. Same is the situation with soyabean, arhar, garlic, methi (fenugreek) and grapes. Saying that farmers have resorted to \u2018fire sales\u2019, Mr Damodaran\u2019s conclusion is, \u201cWe have entered deflation territory in farm produce, whose proximate trigger clearly has been demonetisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022The<\/p>\n
last straw was when the Prime Minister announced, on behalf of the yet-to-be-elected Uttar Pradesh government, that all farm loans in UP will be waived if the BJP formed the government. More likely, it was just an election promise in a state that the BJP perhaps did not expect to win, but it was an unequivocal promise that has returned to haunt the BJP in several states. Farm loan waivers are neither intrinsically \u2018good\u2019 nor \u2018bad\u2019. As Dr M S Swaminathan said a few days ago, \u201cLoan waivers, though temporarily necessary, do not provide for a secure long term credit system\u201d (emphasis supplied). When farmers do not get a fair and reasonable price and are unable to repay their loans, they demand a loan waiver. The holder of the highest political office promised a total loan waiver, why blame the farmers for demanding that the promise be implemented?<\/p>\n
\u2022Jobless growth? Young men can find no work on farms or off farms. Micro, small and medium businesses are not offering new jobs. Tier 2, 3 and 4 towns are full of jobless youth and their anger has turned against the central government. The BJP will not admit its mistakes. Nor will any BJP leader tell the Prime Minister that mistakes were mad and there is need for correction .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Revolution In Making : The Neglected Farmer \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0940 \u0926\u0941\u0930\u094d\u0926\u0936\u093e \u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928 ,\u0928\u0935\u092f\u0941\u0935\u0915… more