Farmers Movement Archive

Trust deficit comes to the fore

EVEN as the Centre seems keen on a revamp of the agriculture sector, farmers and farm experts in Punjab feel there is many a slip between the cup and the lip.A meeting, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, was held recently to discuss reforms in agriculture marketing, access of farmers to institutional credit and freeing the sector of various restrictions by incorporating suitable laws. The development was seen as a way forward for the sector which is the source of livelihood for more than half of the country’s population.Farmers mince no words in expressing their apprehensions about the benefits of the intended government move to bring in reforms. Manpreet Singh Grewal, adviser to the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Kisan Club, says, “At the first glance, the reforms proposal appears to be an attempt at promoting private companies at the cost of the ordinary farmers. The objective seems to be to create a window of opportunity for the corporate takeover of assets of poor farmers on the pretext of bigger goals.”Grewal says, “There are already indications of the government withdrawing from the purchase of the farmers’ produce and giving the job to private companies. The new steps will mean that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will go. The MSP was the basis of securing the livelihood of thousands of farmers. In the context of the yield increasing with better agriculture inputs, farmers might get less for their produce.”PAU Vice Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon says: “While the government’s intention to bring in reforms is laudable, there can be no general policy for improving agriculture. Each region has its peculiarities, such as the weather in Punjab. Even with fresh innovations, no policy in Punjab will be complete till the farmers’ crops are insured against inclement weather.”Dr Dhillon adds, “Punjab’s weather is not comparable with that of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh or Rajasthan. So, farmers need security. An agriculture policy is also needed for exports and linkage with ports.”The PM’s meeting focused on bio-technological developments in crops, enhancement in production and reduction of costs. The meeting also deliberated upon strengthening credit flow to farmers for Kisan Credit card and PM Kisan schemes. The meeting emphasised developing the National Agriculture Market (eNAM).A leading farmer from Sangrur district, Jagdeep Singh Kannoi, says: “Big schemes announced in the name of farmers' welfare have nothing for them. These are largely suited to help traders. An ordinary farmer has issues like returning the loan of arhtiyas. It somehow appears that the government is trying to get major players to develop food parks. Small farmers cannot dream of getting anything major to their share of development in here.”Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal suspects that the Centre is hell bent on getting the corporate sector into agriculture. “In December 2017, we attended a meeting on agriculture reforms in Delhi; it witnessed significant presence of the corporate sector and economists. It was said that the farming sector needed money for improving their lot and this money could come from corporates. It was also suggested that a cluster of 5,000-7,000 acres be created and given to those who could afford it.”Rajewal adds, “This was a clear attempt at giving control of land to the moneyed class. We had spoken at the meeting about our apprehensions. The issue got buried for some time. Now it seems the government is making a fresh attempt at privatising agriculture. It is a dangerous move.”Harbinder Singh Chatha, a farmer from Sado Heri village, near Nabha, says: “A change in the outlook for farming is very important. However, the discussions here seem more of a bureaucratic compilation of high-sounding measures. I agree that scientific farming for better results is possible only with land pooling. The average landholding in Punjab is about 2 acres and it is only a few kanals in other states. How will pooling happen is a key question.”

The Tribune

2020-05-11