joebritto
Member
The Current scene in the Agricultural front in India is indeed very alarming. The farmers are not getting the basic support price which they need for their crops. They also have no recourse to proper advice as to the right cropping patterns to select as the Agriculture Departments in several states are almost defunct. Apart from several made problems like rapid conversations of Agricultural land into SEZ and to other Concrete jungles, extreme shortage of farm labour all leading to influx of rural population to the bursting urban cities. Farmers have indeed been driven to the desperation and are ready to give up their precious land to any shark. Fortunately there are a few farmers who treat their lands as Gods own property and slowly it does seem their tribe is increasing, but at the same time several poor farmers are quite desperate and are almost bankrupt.
The encouragement provided to the middle men who are the cause of the great price loss to the poor farmer and ever increasing price to the final consumer (Who sometimes is the farmer himself) is one of the practical solvable issues which need to be tackled on priority. Agriculture is the culture of all cultures, Indian Agriculture is indeed rich and prior to 1960's farming was almost quite natural and use of chemicals, pesticides was unknown and farmers developed their own indigenous varieties. Organic farming is gaining popularity but use of Chemicals and harmful pesticides has still not got the right publicity as the Industrial lobby is very strong and only the immediate benefits are highlighted. After all who cares if the soil turns out to be barren after 20 years or so when the current generation is not affected in the least? Farmers should remember that they are living on the legacy of their children and need to protect the soil. To create an inch of rich top soil takes nature centuries, but to destroy it takes man just a few seasons maybe even less than a decade.
Uncertain weather is accepted fact and this great issue. Inadequate rainfall results in lack of supply of water at the critical stages of plants and drastically affects absorption, translocation and utilization of nutrients. On the other hand excessive rainfall causes floods and water logging causing leaching of precious nutrients and is detrimental to the normal growth and development of crops. No single rainfall distribution pattern repeats itself year after year at the same place; no single recommendation therefore works in all the years. Nature is therefore an uncertain problem which is forcing the farmer to dispose of his land.
India's big city malls catering to the palates of well-off Indians, an average family in the country's rural areas has less to eat today than it had six years ago.
"The average rural family today is eating nearly 100 grams less of food grains than six or seven years ago and the average per capita availability of food grains has declined sharply. About 2 decades back, when reforms began, availability of food per person was 510 grams; today it has fallen to below 400 grams,”
"At a time when people of our class are eating foods like we never had in our lives before, India's agriculture sector is in the midst of a collapse,"
The encouragement provided to the middle men who are the cause of the great price loss to the poor farmer and ever increasing price to the final consumer (Who sometimes is the farmer himself) is one of the practical solvable issues which need to be tackled on priority. Agriculture is the culture of all cultures, Indian Agriculture is indeed rich and prior to 1960's farming was almost quite natural and use of chemicals, pesticides was unknown and farmers developed their own indigenous varieties. Organic farming is gaining popularity but use of Chemicals and harmful pesticides has still not got the right publicity as the Industrial lobby is very strong and only the immediate benefits are highlighted. After all who cares if the soil turns out to be barren after 20 years or so when the current generation is not affected in the least? Farmers should remember that they are living on the legacy of their children and need to protect the soil. To create an inch of rich top soil takes nature centuries, but to destroy it takes man just a few seasons maybe even less than a decade.
Uncertain weather is accepted fact and this great issue. Inadequate rainfall results in lack of supply of water at the critical stages of plants and drastically affects absorption, translocation and utilization of nutrients. On the other hand excessive rainfall causes floods and water logging causing leaching of precious nutrients and is detrimental to the normal growth and development of crops. No single rainfall distribution pattern repeats itself year after year at the same place; no single recommendation therefore works in all the years. Nature is therefore an uncertain problem which is forcing the farmer to dispose of his land.
India's big city malls catering to the palates of well-off Indians, an average family in the country's rural areas has less to eat today than it had six years ago.
"The average rural family today is eating nearly 100 grams less of food grains than six or seven years ago and the average per capita availability of food grains has declined sharply. About 2 decades back, when reforms began, availability of food per person was 510 grams; today it has fallen to below 400 grams,”
"At a time when people of our class are eating foods like we never had in our lives before, India's agriculture sector is in the midst of a collapse,"