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The Indian farmers have always been at the receiving end since Independence. Their hard toil fetched them nothing except fake assurances from the rulers of this nation. It’s sad and unfortunate that people who are indispensable for the growth of nation have been left to their fate. This is quite evident from the suicide cases in Andhra and other parts of the country including West Bengal. In state like UP middlemen and Mandi officials ensure that the farmers turn into object of grief. The need of the hour is implementation of schemes introduced by the government. This can take place effectively if the village panchayts are provided more power to execute them in smooth manner.
Today bureaucratic set-ups eat into their advantages. Again farmers need to be equipped with latest technological accessories that enhance the prospects of better output and thus make their contribution more prominentin the global economy. Better results could be attained if information centers having state-of-the -art facilities are set-up inside each village that shed light on issues related with farmers. Let’s not forget that they form the backbone of the nation and so it becomes imperative for us to be conscious of their needs.
Why does not government come out with plans, which prevent the farmers from being swayed by negative market forces? It’s the responsibility of the government to provide better living standards to the poor farmers, saving them from the clutches of middlemen and unpredictability of weather. The rhetoric hell bent on ‘intellectualizing everything’ is not the solution for problems ailing the farmers. Their grievances can’t be tackled without bonding with them at the grass root level.
Sadly, little thought has gone into providing them better facilities to wipe out problem haunting them. The wealthy farmers may be in a position to pitch in better facilities for themselves but the farmers belonging to lower strata have always found themselves in turmoil. Their lives trapped between usurious moneylenders and unscrupulous buyers turn into saga of miseries and frustrations. It’s time to bail them out from harsh ground realities.
RSS 
You must be aware of the fact that our PM has been associated with IMF -1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors, International Monetary Fund-and ,therefore, it would be naive to assume that he was not aware of the policies framed by such bodies aimed more at serving the interests of big nations who were not too interested in seeing developing countries becoming self sufficient in producing food grain.
I hope our PM shall give highest priority to interests of farmers than being swayed by wishes of MNCs.
I agree with your views.Let’s hope Manmohan’s path of neo-liberal reforms doesn’t make farmers face total extinction.
Last time, our agriculture minister was more concerned with goings in world of cricket than being aware of the needs of farmers dying in Vidarbha and elsewhere.I don’t know what will be the chief concern of Sharad Pawar this time ??
Under the influence of this set of policies, it is bound to happen. I can firmly say that these policies will render India totally dependent on western countries to fulfill the requirements of food grain and it is the ultimate objective of USA and West.
” When UPA government came in power largely with the support of farmers and rural India, we were quite hopeful that farmers interest would be paramount in the government’s agenda. But last two years of UPA rule has brought misery and destitution for the rural community and never before there were such severe agrarian crisis as it is today. Every day dozens of farmers are committing suicide and Mr. Pawar heading agriculture ministry, in a live television interview said that “100,000 farmers suicide per year is a normal thing that we have been seeing for a number of years”. This is the height of government’s apathy towards farmers. And ironically even the relief packages announced by this government to deal with agrarian crisis are corporate driven and only promote the interest of the US biotech industries like Monsanto and their
agribusiness like Cargill and ADM. And quite obviously three giant US corporations (Monsanto, Wal-Mart and Archer Daniels Midland) along with an Indian agribusiness ITC have got formal entry in the Indian government system as board members of the “Indo-US Knowledge Initiative on Agricultural Research and Education”, launched during the US President’s recent visit to India.”
http://www.all4all.org/2006/07/2624.shtm
Puneet you have hit the nail on the head.It’s really tragic that people who should rule the roost are the ones trapped in all sort of problems.Come in my village Puneet and you will find that most of the farmers are now no more interested in farming.The present generation is moving to cities for better job ! When I ask them why are U people not involved in farming they say : Kheti Me Kya Rekha Hai ?(What’s there in farming ?)
We just cannot ignore the fact that farmers are just not interested in farming!! They believe that ””Farming is a hard life. It’s a hard life, therefore nobody ought to live it. ”
http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/15/stories/2007111554771300.htm
Yes, I am aware of this fact.They are in deep crisis.Rosy promises are not going to solve their problems.
I think the policies of globalization being pursued by the governments after 1991 are the most responsible for these agrarian crises in India.
http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article588.html
Thanks for your views.
” The more explicitly ideological versions of this genre see globalization as the ultimate triumph of capitalism and as signifying ”the end of history”. The reality and the lived experience of globalization of the vast majority of people in the world call seriously into question the euphoric versions, the strenuous efforts of electronic and print mass media top portray otherwise notwithstanding.”
http://www.eefi.org/0702/070208.htm
I visited the link.It’s quite informative.You can very well notice how shrewd the big nations are.They are giving high subsidies to their farmers but compelled developing nations to refrain from giving subsidies.
They also made us to allow unrestricted import but prevented us from exporting.
We really need to be seriously bothered about ensuring a better future to farmers who feel that farming is the most unproductive affair in our times !
Perhaps part of the problem is that countries are starting to look inward at their home problems, fixing the tiles on their roof instead of fixing the tiles on the roof of others whilst at home theirs was leaking.
To retract a direction globally is painful no matter where you are.
That’s sound observation on your part.
We have to first keep our house in order than taking care of what west wants !!
****************************************
Seized: The 2008 landgrab for food and financial security
GRAIN
Today’s food and financial crises have, in tandem, triggered a new global land grab. On the one hand, “food insecure” governments that rely on imports to feed their people are snatching up vast areas of farmland abroad for their own offshore food production. On the other hand, food corporations and private investors, hungry for profits in the midst of the deepening financial crisis, see investment in foreign farmland as an important new source of revenue. As a result, fertile agricultural land is becoming increasingly privatised and concentrated. If left unchecked, this global land grab could spell the end of small-scale farming, and rural livelihoods, in numerous places around the world.
” The food security land grab is the one that most people have been hearing about, with newspapers reporting that Saudi Arabia and China are out buying farmland all over the world, from Somalia to Kazakhstan. But there are many more countries involved. A closer look reveals an impressive list of food security land grabbers: China, India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea in Asia; Egypt and Libya in Africa; and Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. A detailed picture of who is seeking land where, for what purpose and for how much money, is provided in the Annex.”
http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=212
Nice to receive your comment after a very long time.
True, in a democratic set up the common man should be the real boss.However,in our country the men in power who are supposed to serve common man come to rule over them and in the process get hailed as ”Mai-baap”.That’s real tragedy.
The trinity of liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG) may have worked wonder for neo-rich but for the farmers it has wrecked havoc.The agriculture has taken a great dip as far as growth is concerned.The hegemonic process initiated by the big countries has proved to be detrimental for the poor countries.
Someone has rightly remarked that ” The present system is the very definition of irrationality, dictated by the logic of globalization of finance capital.”