पूरी सच नहींहैं खाद्यान्न संकट की बातें

डॉ शिराज़ वाजिह गोरखपुर एन्विरोंमेंतल एक्शन में निदेशक हैं। यह संस्थां खाद्य सुरक्षा, कृषि और पोषण जैसे मुद्दों पर विभिन्न देशों की नीतियों का अध्ययन करता है और उन्हें सुझाव देता है। महंगाई के इस दौर में भारत एवं विश्व में अनाज के उत्पादन, भंडारण आपूर्ति, कीमत एवं नीतियों आदि को लेकर संवाददाता प्रीती द्विवेदी ने उनसे बातचीत की। पेश हैं इसके प्रमुखअंश-

मौजूदा वैश्विक खाद्य संकट को आप किस प्रकार देखते हैं? यह कितना वास्तविक है?

यह संकट पूरी तरह अवास्तविक नहीं है। इसमें कुछ हद तक सच्चाई है, लेकिन जिस तरह से पूरी दुनिया में एक अफरातफरी का माहौल बनाया जा रहा है उसकी भी जरूरत नहीं है। खास तौर पर भारत में जिस तरह से खाद्य कीमतों और इसके संकट को लेकर तरह-तरह की बातें आ रही हैं उनमें अधिकांश सच्चाई पर आधारित नहीं है। दुनिया के अन्य देशों से तुलना करें तो भारत में खाद्य आधारित मुद्रास्फीति की दर एक तिहाई या एक चौथाई भर है। मेरा मानना है कि मौजूदा परिस्थितियों में भारत सरकार ने खाद्यान्न की कीमतों पर जो नीति अपनाई है वह काबिलेतारीफ है। सरकार की नीतियों ने वैश्विक संकट से देश को बहुत हद तक बचा कर रखा हुआ है। खाने-पीने की चीजों की कीमतों को लेकर जो विवाद खड़ा किया गया है उसमें 80 फीसदी राजनीतिक हाथ है। वे लोग ही शोर मचा रहे हैं जो इसके बारे में ज्यादा नहीं जानते। तो क्या भारत में खाद्यान्न कीमतें ज्यादा नहीं बढ़ी हैं?

देखिए इस प्रश्न का जवाब जानने से पहले आपको कुछ तथ्यों को जानना होगा। बहुत कम लोगों को मालूम होगा कि पिछले वित्त वर्ष के दौरान भी भारत अनाज का शुद्ध निर्यातक रहा है। इस संकट के वर्ष भी हमने 40 लाख टन चावल और 20 लाख टन मक्के का निर्यात किया है। केवल 18 लाख टन गेहूं आयात किया गया है। इसके पिछले वर्ष 6000 करोड़ रुपये का गेहूं आयात किया, जबकि 7000 करोड़ रुपये का चावल निर्यात किया। इससे पहले 2002 से 2005 तक भारत अनाज निर्यात में विश्व के सबसे प्रमुख देशों में था। आप कहते हैं कि देश में खाने-पीने की चीजों की कीमतें आसमान छू रही हैं, लेकिन एक हकीकत यह भी है कि आज उत्तर प्रदेश का किसान एक रुपये प्रति किलो की दर से आलू बेच रहा है। नासिक में किसानों को प्याज के लिए दो रुपये किलो के भाव दिए जा रहे हैं। यह भी याद रखिये कि वर्ष 1995-96 से वर्ष 2005-06 तक खाद्यान्नों की कीमतें या तो स्थिर रही हैं या फिर इनमें बेहद मामूली वृद्धि देखी गई है। पूरे एक दशक तक कीमतों के स्थिर रहने के बाद जब इनमें वृद्धि का रुख बना है तो इसको एक ज्वलंत मुद्दा बनाने की जरूरत नहीं है।
मुद्रास्फीति की बढ़ती दर की वजह क्या खाद्यान्नों की महंगाई नहीं है?
सच है कि मुद्रास्फीति की दर बढ़ रही है, लेकिन इसमें खाद्यान्न की कीमतों की भूमिका केवल 20 फीसदी है। मेरा तो यह भी मानना है कि खाद्यान्न की कीमतों को डालर में आंकना बंद करना चाहिए। डालर पिछले दो वर्षो से अस्थिर बना हुआ है। इसलिए डालर में कीमतों की तुलना करने पर यह बहुत ज्यादा दिखाई देती हैं। अगर यूरो में अनाजों की कीमतों को लें तो आप पाएंगे कि वर्ष 1996 के बाद से इनकी कीमतें लगभग स्थिर रही हैं। इसलिए कीमत मापने के हमारे तरीके में बदलाव लाने की जरूरत है। मुद्रास्फीति की दर वैसे भी स्टील, सीमेंट जैसे उत्पादों की कीमतों से ज्यादा प्रभावित होती है। वैश्विक खाद्यान्न संकट के लिए भारत को जिम्मेदार माना जा रहा है। इसमें कितनी सच्चाई है?

यह प्राकृतिक तथ्य है, जब लोग ज्यादा कमाने लगते हैं तो वे खान-पान पर ज्यादा खर्च करने लगते हैं। इसका यह मतलब नहीं हुआ कि भारत और चीन ही वैश्विक खाद्यान्न संकट के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं। इसके पीछे आपूर्ति के साथ ही मांग से जुड़े कारकों ने भी मुख्य भूमिका निभाई है। आस्ट्रेलिया, यूरोप सहित कई क्षेत्रों में सूखा होने से स्थिति गंभीर हुई है। तीन वर्षो के भीतर आस्ट्रेलिया में गेहूं का उत्पादन 2.5 करोड़ टन से घटकर एक करोड़ टन रह गया है। यूरोपीय संघ में 3-4 वर्षो में गेहूं का उत्पादन 15 फीसदी तक कम हो गया है। मांग पक्ष को तो सबसे ज्यादा भारत और चीन प्रभावित कर रहे हैं। वर्ष 2004 तक इन दोनों देशों में गेहूं का इतना ज्यादा भंडार था कि इन्होंने औने-पौने दामों में इसे निर्यात किया। इस दौरान इन दोनों देशों के किसानों ने गेहूं छोड़कर गन्ना उपजाना शुरू कर दिया, इससे चीनी की कीमतें लुढ़क गई। अमेरिका में बायोफ्यूल को लेकर खूब अनुसंधान हुए। आज अमेरिका 60-70 फीसदी मक्का बायो-फ्यूल में लगा रहा है। इससे भी संकट बढ़ा। साथ ही जिंस बाजार में जमकर निवेश होने से सटोरियो ने भ्रामक प्रचार फैलाकर कमाई की। इन सब कारणों ने संकट को गहराने का काम किया।
इस बार गेहूं की सरकारी खरीद जमकर हुई है। क्या इससे स्थिति सुधरेगी?
मेरा मानना है कि सरकार को जरूरत से ज्यादा गेहूं की खरीद नहीं करनी चाहिए। यह समस्या को हमेशा के लिए सुलझाने नहीं जा रहा है। जब तक कीमत निर्धारित करने का काम बाजार के तरीके से नहीं होगा, न तो किसानों का भला होगा और न ही ग्राहकों का। जन वितरण प्रणाली और स्टाक के लिए खरीद करने के बाद सरकार को बाजार से हट जाना चाहिए। किसानों को उनके उत्पादों की सही कीमत मिलने का रास्ता तैयार करना चाहिए। आप किसानों को ढांचागत सुविधाएं उपलब्ध कराइये, उनके लिए उचित भंडारण की व्यवस्था कीजिए, सड़कें बनाइए ताकि सही बाजार में उनके उत्पाद पहुंच सकें, लेकिन कीमत निर्धारित करने का काम बाजार पर छोड़िये। नहीं तो कभी गन्ना तो कभी गेहूं उपजा कर किसान पछताते रहेंगे। वायदा कारोबार पर पाबंदी लगा देने का भी विपरीत असर होगा। यह भी जल्दबाजी में उठाया गया कदम है।
इससे क्या गरीब तबके का हित प्रभावित नहीं होगा?
उसके लिए आपको व्यवस्था करनी होगी। ज्यादा मजबूत और पुरजोर व्यवस्था करनी होगी। जन वितरण प्रणाली को सुधारिए। लक्षित जनों तक सस्ता राशन पहुंचाने के लिए दूसरा रास्ता अपनाइए। आखिरकार आंध्र प्रदेश में दो रुपये प्रति किलो चावल दिया जा रहा है या नहीं। हम भी कुछ ऐसा कर सकते हैं। जिस वर्ग को वाकई सस्ते अनाज की जरूरत है उस तक अनाज पहुंचाने का कोई कारगर रास्ता अपनाना होगा। सरकारी दर पर गेहूं-चावल खरीद कर एफसीआई के गोदामों में भरने का कोई फायदा नहीं होगा।
इस तरह की स्थिति फिर पैदा न हो इसके लिए सरकार को क्या करना चाहिए? सबसे पहले तो ढांचागत सुविधाओं को बेहतर बनाना होगा। किसानों को बिजली, पानी, सड़क, भंडारण की सुविधाएं देनी होगीं। भारत में तो कृषि क्षेत्र में बहुत ज्यादा राशि लगाने की आवश्यकता है। यह काम सरकार अकेले नहीं कर सकती। निजी क्षेत्र को कृषि क्षेत्र में निवेश करने के लिए ज्यादा से ज्यादा प्रोत्साहन देने की जरूरत है। अभी अनाज उत्पादन तो पूरी तरह से निजी तौर पर हो रहा है, लेकिन इसकी मार्केटिंग पूरी तरह से सरकार के नियंत्रण में है। यह स्थिति समाप्त होनी चाहिए।

प्रीती द्विवेदी

GEAG expresses concern over emerging food security crisis

Times of India, Gorakhpur
16 October, 2008
Gorakhpur Environmental Action group (GEAG), a voluntary organization working for sustainable agriculture, expressed great concern over the emerging food security crisis.
To make the common people aware about this problem, the food and agriculture organization(fao) of United Nations, which has its branches in 150 countries of the world, world organize several programmes on October16, the World Food Day with this year’s theme being “World Food Crisis: Climate change and bio-energy”.
GEAG President, S.A.Wajih said that presently there were 7.5 crore people in the world who could be categorized as ‘hungry persons’ but this number could multiply in days to come if prices of food items increased at the present rate. The food production in the world is worst affected by the climate change, he noted.
The scenario in India regarding food crisis is more alarming than that in the western world. About 50 percent of the hungry persons of the world reside in the India alone and 46 percent of children below the age of 3 years are suffering from malnutrition. The situation of Uttar Pradesh is more pathetic as it has the maximum number of children suffering with malnutrition, he said.
The agricultural production in India is largely dependent on climate besides the technical advancement in other fields of development. The UN has long urged India to give more importance to agricultural production and water management. Though growth of GDP in India was 8.5 percent in last financial year but agricultural growth rate was only 2.6 percent.
Immediate attention should be paid to increase the agricultural production, he said.

Jitendra Dwivedi
Media Coordinator
Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group

खाद्य सुरक्षा पर गहराता संकट

आहार का आभाव गरीबी का शायद सर्वाधिक तात्कालिक, स्वाभाविक और सहवर्ती लक्षण है। लेकिन आहार आवश्यकताओं या भोजन के अधिकार की धारणा को विकसित रूप से समझने की आवश्यकता है, ताकी यह जाना जा सके की इसे कैसे बेहतर ढंग से पूरा किया जा सकता है।
संयुक्त राष्ट्र के खाद्य एवं कृषि संगठन द्वारा जारी एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार अभी तक विश्व में भूखों की संख्या ७.५ करोड़ है और यदि अनाज के दामों की यह बढ़त जारी रही तो यह संख्या बढ़कर ९२।२५ करोड़ हो सकती है. इस संगठन की स्थापना १६ अक्टूबर १९४५ में की गई थी। इस संगठन की स्थापना के दिन ही विश्व के करीब १५० देशों ने १६ अक्टूबर को विश्व खाद्य दिवस के रूप में घोषित कर दिया। इस साल खाद्य दिवस की थीम रखी गयी है, ‘विश्व खाद्य संकट: जलवायु परिवर्तन की चुनौती और जैव उर्जा।’ इसमें कोई दो राए नहीं की वर्तमान समय में जलवायु परिवर्तन का सीधा असर कृषि पर पड़ रहा है, जिसका सीधा सम्बन्ध खाद्य सुरक्षा से है क्योंकि भारत सदियों से कृषि प्रधान देश रहा है। बढती कीमतों की वजह से वैश्विक स्तर पर वर्ष २००७ में करीब २.५ अरब भूख से ग्रसित लोगों में वृद्धि हुई है। संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ द्वारा जारी की गई ‘ सहस्त्राब्दी घोषना पत्र भी वैश्विक स्तर पर खाद्य सुरक्षा के संकट को कम करने में असफल रहा है। जबकी ‘ सहस्त्राब्दी घोषना पत्र की खाद्य संकट से निपटना उच्च प्राथमिकता थी।
तेल की बढ़ती कीमतों तथा अस्थिर अर्थव्यवस्था ने विकासशील देशों में खाद्यान संकट को और भी गंभीर बना दिया है। वर्ष २००७ में गेहूं की कीमतों में बढोत्तरी देखि गयी है। विश्व के दो प्रमुख गेहूं उत्पादक देश आष्ट्रेलिया और यूरोप नें गंभीर सूखे की मार झेली है। यद्यपी की वैश्विक स्तर पर भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था को एक मजबूत अर्थव्यवस्था के रूप में देखा जा रहा है। किंतु विश्व के कुल भूख से पीड़ित लोगों में अकेले भारत में ही ५० प्रतिशत लोग रहते हैं। भारत की कुल जनसँख्या की २५ प्रतिशत लोगों की आमदनी प्रतिदिन १२ रूपये से भी कम है और करीब ७५ प्रतिशत लोगों की आमदनी एक डालर से भी कम है। भारत की करीब ८० प्रतिशत जनसँख्या को कम से कम पोषक आहार की मात्र भी प्राप्त नहीं नसीब होती है। भारत के ०-३ वर्ष के करीब ४६ प्रतिशत बच्चे कुपोषण से ग्रसित हैं। वहीँ उत्तर प्रदेश में यह आंकडा ४७ प्रतिशत है जहाँ देश के सबसे ज्यादा बच्चे कुपोषण से ग्रसित हैं।
तमाम तकनीकी विकास के बावजूद भी भारत की अधिकतर कृषि मौसम के ऊपर निर्भर है। भारत को सार्वजानिक वितरण प्रडाली को भी मजबूत बनाने की जरूरत है। संयुक्त राष्ट्र के खाद्य एवं कृषि संगठन के निदेशक डाक्टर जैकुस दिओउस ने विश्व के लोगों से अनुरोध किया है की वह अपने देश की कृषि उत्पादकता और जल प्रबंधन पर पर्याप्त ध्यान दें। खाद्य सामग्री की कमी को देखते हुए राज्य सरकार को कमजोर वर्ग की तरफ़ ज्यादा ध्यान देना चाहिए क्योंकि खाद्य संकट का सबसे बुरा असर इसी वर्ग पर पड़ता है. यह बड़े दुर्भाग्य का विषय है की कृषि प्रधान देश होते हुए भी भारत को खाद्य संकट से गुजरना पड़ रहा है।
इस सम्बन्ध में गोरखपुर इन्वायरमेंटल एक्शन ग्रुप के अध्यक्ष डाक्टर शिराज ऐ वजीह का कहना है “ की यह बात सत्य है की पिछले वर्षो में भारतीय आर्थव्यवस्था के सकल घरेलु उत्पाद में ८.५ प्रतिशत की वृद्धि हुई है किंतु कृषि खेत्र में विकास की यह दर मात्र २.६ प्रतिशत रही है। उद्योगों को प्रोत्साहित करने और विशेष आर्थिक खेत्र के तहत ज्यादा से ज्यादा कृषि योग्य भूमी पर अधिग्रहण से कृषि उत्पादकता में कमी आयी है। उनका आगे कहना है की चुकी आहार एक अधिकार है अतः यह राज्य के लिए अनिवार्य है की वह इस बारे में एक निति और वैधानिक ढांचा कायम करे की सामाजिक भौगोलिक या अन्य विभिन्न घटकों जैसे की कृषि सब्सिडी इत्यादी में उनके अधिकार को और सुरक्षित किया जाए। भूख से मुक्ति प्रत्येक व्यक्ति का मौलिक अधिकार है। भोजन के आभाव के रूप में भूख एक ऐसे स्थिति है जिसे अवश्य समाप्त कर देना चाहिए, लेकिन इसका मतलब यह नहीं की जिन्हें भूख की बेचैनी महसूस नहीं होती उन्हें अच्छा - खासा भोजन प्राप्त होता है। इसलिए आहार की आवश्यकता पर पर्याप्तता बल दिया जाना।

Implication of residue losses of wheat/paddy due to its burning vis a vis buffering of dry fodder by practicing manual oepareshan

Jitendra Dwivedi
Coordinator
Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG)
In Indian economy, especially Indo-Gangetic plain region the major share of occurred by the farming of rice-wheat cropping system. Rice-Wheat rotation has emerged as the most important food production system in the Eastern U.P. too. Besides being a main stay of food security system of India, it provides livelihood to million of families. The sustainability of this system is, however, threatened by decline/stagnation in productivity, dwindling water resources, multi nutritional deficiencies, high energy input, declining soil health and other environmental problems. Recently, prevalent tillage and residue management practices employed in this system have become a critical issue because of escalating energy cost, environmental pollution and loss of plant nutrients caused by burning of crop residues .Gorakhpur district of Eastern UP stands much promising for the production of wheat and paddy and having sizable acreage which generates the potential income and employment of this region. Similarly Gorakhpur district emerges the present effect of mechanical / combines harvesting of paddy and wheat and resulting consequent effect in terms of ill health of soil, environmental issues and soil nutrient losses occurring in short term/long term basis. As traditional manual harvesting practices incorporated all the merits in favouring to supplying fodder to livestock’s without spoiling the soil health and environmental status. Mechanical operation having only merit to reduce a little bit of cost expenditure per acre basis along with compensating dependence on manual labour during peak season of paddy and wheat. Looking to these facts the present investigation attempted to analyse comparative analysis of losses of residue burning and its consequent effect to the soil/environmental status vis a vis manual labour harvesting of paddy and wheat. Methodology:For the study a detail methodology was incorporated as follows. Frequent visit and focal group discussion were made and randomly procure the information from the farmer’s fields, to asses the variability in prevalent residue management practices at the surrounding of the Gorakhpur district under the jurisdiction of Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG). The real fact of information conceived and exposed the very pertinent information related to net residue loss, soil nutrient loss, specially carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and sulphur, degeneration of bacterial composition of soil and quantum of soil loss. Estimation of losses Aspect Per hec. Rs.In Gorakhpur as a whole Rs.Residue use value20 qt.@ 100/qt. = 2000 (in form of fodder)93630 ha.× 20 = 1872600qt187260000
Nutrient Carbon1000 Kg. -936300-Nitrogen 15 Kg. (33 Kg. Urea) 19830897.90 Qt. 18538740Phosphorus .5 Kg. (1.08 Kg. DAP)111011.20 Qt.1011204Potash 8.75 Kg. (15 Kg MOP)7514044.50 Qt.7022250Sulphur1.2 Kg. (1.5 Kg. Sulphur 901404.45 Qt.6741360Total 374983658.05 Qt.3,33,13,554
It is evident from the table 4 that per hectare residue burnt after mechanical operation accounted i.e. 20 qt. where as per hectare nutrient loss as available in residue of wheat/paddy resulted in the form of carbon was estimated 1000 Kg, Nitrogen 15 Kg, Phosphorus 0.5 kg, potash 8.75 Kg and Sulphur 1.2 Kg. so far. How ever, in value form as corresponded nutrient loss of nitrogen as was Rs. 198, followed by Rs. 90 (Sulphur) Rs. 75 (Potash) and Rs. 11 (phosphorus), respectively. Along with total nutrient losses valued in Rs. 374/hectare In respect of Gorakhpur district as a whole, the total residue burnt after mechanical operation was accounted i.e. 1872600 quintal. Where as nutrient losses as a whole were found carbon 936300 quintal, nitrogen 30897.90 quintal, phosphorus 1011.20 quintal, potash 14044.50 quintal and sulphur 1404.45 quintal. so for. However in value form as corresponded nutrient loss was Rs. 18538740 of nitrogen, Rs. 1011204 (phosphorus), Rs. 7022250 (Potash) and Rs. 6741360 (sulphur) respectively along with total nutrient losses as a whole valued in Rs. 33313554 (approx Three Crore Thirty three lakhs) Input analysis: (Mechanical/manual harvesting) Input/acre (Wheat) Mechanical (Rs.)Manual (Rs.)Difference (Rs.)Labour (harvesting & therasing) 800-850Man days per day15 × 50 = 75004 × 25 = 100-Tractor charges 1000 Fodder loss 9 quintal = 900 -Total17251850125
Table 5 BIt is obvious from table that by employing mechanical operation for harvesting of wheat was estimated Rs. 1725/acre where as, by manual operation the harvesting of wheat was accounted Rs. 1850/acre. By comparing mechanical verses manual operation of wheat was accounted i.e. Rs. 125/acre as favouring lowering cost in corporate in mechanical operation Input/acre (Paddy) Mechanical (Rs.)Manual (Rs.)Difference (Rs.)Labour (harvesting & therasing) 800-85014 ×50 = 70005 × 50 = 250-Tractor charges 300 Fodder loss 9 quintal = 900 --Total17251250475
In respect of harvesting of paddy was estimated Rs। 1725/acre where as, as by manual operation the harvesting of paddy was accounted Rs. 1250/acre. by comparing of mechanical verses manual operation of paddy was accounted i.e. Rs. 475 as favouring lowering cost incorporated in manual operation.

Official group moots Rs 7,000 cr investment in agriculture

Official group moots Rs 7,000 cr investment in agriculture
Bangalore (PTI): An Official Group set by Karnataka Government has recommended setting up of a "Karnataka Agriculture Mission" and an investment of Rs 7,000 crore to promote development of agriculture and allied activities in the state.
The Group in its report submitted to Governor Rameshwar Thakur today, has called for implementation of a multi-pronged strategy for improving the economic condition of farmers.
The 12-member official group headed by Principal Secretary, Finance Department, M R Srinivasa Murthy, was constituted in June last year by the then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to suggest measures to improve farmers economic conditions after the state witnessed a spate of suicides by farmers.
The Group has recommended implementation of "The Group Approach to farming" by organizing farmers into groups in every village for taking up cultivation of commonly agreed crops, dairy farming, horticulture etc.
This would enable the farmers' group to obtain loans from financial institutions and technical advice from various extension agencies more easily.
Diversification of farming is another strategy advocated by the group to reduce risks and increase incomes of farmers.
The group has recommended adoption of the motto "no field with one crop and no farmer with a single income" to create multiple sources of farm income, official sourcrces said.
The Group in its report had recommended that each farmer's household should be enabled to create for itself at least two or three sources of sustainable income so that the risk of crop failures with the resultant distress is avoided.
It has strongly advocated that as part of the financial inclusion programme being pursued by Banks, the credit needs of every household of farmers should be fully addressed by the Banks.
"Only universal access to agricultural credit will enable small farmers to modernize their agricultural practices and derive higher incomes", it suggested.
Recognizing the need for making huge investments in the sector of processing and marketing infrastructure, the Group has recommended that private enterprise must be supported in developing marketing and processing infrastructure.
It suggested that the funds available to the state under the National Agricultural Development Programme along with state's own resources should be used over the next five years to invest about Rs 7,000 crore for developing the agricultural sector. A provision of revolving fund should be made to enable farmers' groups to meet their emergency cash needs for urgent medical expenses among others.

Economic Times

Economic Times
CHANDIGARH: Noting that Agriculture in Punjab was under "deep crisis", a Non Government Organisation on Monday, said that economical, environmental, health and social are the four major concerns associated with this sector in the border state.
At a state-level workshop on organic farming organised by 'Kheti Virasat and Nabha Foundation', the NGO's director Surinder Singh noted that "in order to provide food security to the country, we have ruined our natural resources."
At present more than 109 blocks in Punjab are over exploited for water, he said adding that Punjab's soil had very low level of organic matter as most of the micro-nutrients were not available in it. He said that a sum of rs 27,000 crore of agriculture debt was on the heads of Punjab's farmers. "More than 13,000 farmers have committed suicides in Punjab," he said while quoting the figure of states farmers commission. He said that the prime reason for suicides was that input cost had been increased for the last 5 to ten years and returns were not enough. Speaking on the occasion, All India People Science Network executive member K Ashok Rao said that an important mechanism for the protection of domestic agriculture was Qualitative Restrictions. "This means that the nation has the right to just not allow imports if it hurts their farmers," he said. He said that subsidies were major problems as in countries like India the World Bank trained economists never tire of expressing concern about non-merits of subsidies.

How to rejuvenate agriculture in India

How to rejuvenate agriculture in India
Dr P K Mishra

Agriculture in India is at crossroads today: on one hand, there has been deceleration of growth in recent years, and on the other hand, many new opportunities and possibilities are emerging। Percentage of the population depending on agriculture has not declined significantly even though the share of agriculture in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has substantially gone down। The green revolution transformed the agriculture sector and there was tremendous growth till the 1980s and early 1990s। Then there was stagnation in agricultural growth for about a decade। However, there are signs of accelerated growth during the last two years। Furthermore, there are indications of structural changes with immense possibilities of a demand driven agriculture। The interest shown by corporate sector and the new focus on agriculture as a part of public policy and government efforts could bring about radical transformation in the agriculture sector। Yet, the predominance of small farms, rain fed agriculture on more than half of the arable land and lack of rural infrastructure are some of the aspects which need to be addressed in order to rejuvenate the agriculture sector and bring about faster, sustainable and inclusive growth। Agriculture, particularly traditional farming, is risky – riskier than other types of business because of the nature of the crop cycle। Various factors such as the time taken by the crops to mature, energy used for crop cultivation, resource availability and their production response, dependence on weather, proneness to natural calamities and markets are either too demanding or fraught with uncertainty। Owing to various factors, the growth rate in the agriculture sector decelerated during the last decade। The production of food grains stagnated, the issue of food security re-emerged. Farmers’ distress and cases of suicides were reported form some parts of the country. The accentuation of debt burden on farmers was attributed to the declining production efficiency, lack of access to institutional credit, high cost of inputs and unfavourable market conditions. Yield and price risks, and reduction in farm size have made agriculture less remunerative. The GDP from agriculture and allied sectors grew at a paltry 2.1 per cent during the Ninth Plan and 2.3 per cent during the Tenth Plan. Of course, the growth rate was much higher in the areas such as flower exports, organic food production, food processing and dairy, where new opportunities arose because of the rising urban demand and globalization. In India where nearly two thirds of the farmers primarily depend on rains for cultivation of crops, the consequences of inclement weather on crop production could affect even the livelihood of farmers, most of whom are small and marginal farmers. Frequent occurrences of drought and flood in several parts of the country cause crop losses leading to farmers’ distress. Besides these erratic natural factors, deficiencies in the delivery system and knowledge gap adversely impact farmers’ capability to realize the earth’s production potential. Consequently, farmers remain economically vulnerable and poor and the country faces problems of price rise and costly imports. In the past the focus of our policy and efforts has been on production and productivity. It is realized now that the focus has to shift to the farmer – his capability, economic viability and welfare. The recently announced National Policy on Farmers is a milestone in this endeavour. The agriculture sector has the largest number of private enterprises and probably the most privatized economic activity in terms of the number of economic agents. However, the role of governments – state and central – is crucial. Government policy direction and efforts are important for availability of inputs, credit and transfer of technology. They need to be proactive in taking steps to facilitate availability of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and other inputs. It is also necessary to guide and educate farmers about new technologies, provide rural infrastructure and make available market information. National Policy for Farmers Government of India set up the National Commission on Farmers three years ago with Prof. M.S.Swaminathan, a renowned agricultural scientist, as chairman. Its recommendations have resulted in the first ever National Policy for Farmers. The policy focuses on the farmer and aims to improve the economic viability of farming. The policy inter alia aims at sustainability and conservation of resources, development of affordable support services, strengthening of bio-security, market safeguards and risk management, furthering reforms and enhancing competitiveness for holistic development of our agrarian economy. It is also suggested that the measurement of agricultural progress should be based on enhancement of farm income and non-farm rural employment for farm households. Government of India has initiated steps to see that the policy is implemented both in letter and spirit in a time-bound manner. In recent days, there has been greater focus on the agriculture sector. For the first time after Independence a special meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) was convened in May 2007 to discuss matters relating to agriculture. Several important decisions were taken by the NDC to revitalize the agriculture sector. It was also resolved by the government of India and also the state governments to have a target of 4 per cent annual growth in agriculture during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Mega Schemes Following the NDC meeting, the government launched, within the shortest possible time, two mega schemes for which the central government would spend nearly Rs 30,000 crore during the 11th plan period (2007-12). The Rashtriya Krish Vikas Yojna (RKVY), a Rs. 25,000 crore scheme is to encourage state governments to start new programmes to support agriculture and to increase investment in the sector. The other major scheme is the National Food Security Mission. The central government will spend nearly Rs 5000 crore on this scheme during the period of five years. The scheme envisages production of additional 10 million tonnes of rice, 8 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of pulses by the end of five years. The approach is to target districts with lower productivity at present but higher potentials. Efforts are being made to ensure availability of quality inputs, encourage better agricultural practices and close monitoring of a variety of activities. Kisan Credit Cards It is well known that making credit available to farmers is crucial for his farming activity. With Rs. 86,000 crore farm credit in 2004-05 as base, the government set a target of doubling it in three years. Four years later, in 2007-08 our accomplishment is much more than the original target, and agricultural loan disbursement during 2007-08 is likely to be Rs. 2, 25,000 crore. Starting 2006-07, interest on loans upto Rs 3,00,000 has been reduced to 7 percent, and banks have been advised to waive the requirement of margin/security for farm loan upto Rs 50,000. Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) are being promoted to simplify credit delivery and make the use of credit more flexible. So far, nearly 7 crore farmers have been provided with KCC’s. The growth rate of the agriculture sector has gone upto 4 percent during the last two years about 2 percent in the preceding years, owing to increase in food grain production and growth in the allied activities. Keeping in view the potential of activities such as horticulture and animal husbandry, two major initiatives have been taken: the National Horticulture Mission and the National Fisheries Development Board. Their promotional activities would not only generate additional income for farmers and diversify their activities, it would increase availability of produce for the food processing sector, generate employment and improve nutritional level of the food consumed. As a safety net for farmers the system of Minimum Support Price (MSP) is in existence for many years. During the last three years there has been unprecedented increase in the MSP for important crops such as cereals, pulses and oilseeds in order to ensure remunerative prices to farmers and protect their interests. Marketing infrastructure is important to reduce price risk. A number of initiatives have been taken. The objective of the ongoing process of reforms in agricultural marketing is to provide wider choice and greater options to farmers to sell their produce. The Government of India has circulated a Model Act and also a set of model rules to the states to facilitate the process of reform. A law has also been enacted to make storage/godown receipts negotiable so that farmers are able to get loans from banks based on the produce stored by them in warehouses. Taking Technology to Farmers A vast network of agricultural extension system has been one of the strengths of Indian agriculture. The system, evolved over the years, has played an important role in taking technology to farmers in the past. In recent times, however, the system has lost its efficacy in many areas. There is a concern about its inertia and inability to bridge the knowledge gap between lab and land. The Training and Visit (T&V) System, which was relevant in the past, may not be appropriate in the changed scenario. The system of Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), introduced a few years ago, is being extended to all the districts in the country. It provides a platform and flexibility to undertake extension activities through public, private, NGOs and other agencies. There is a need to further streamline ATMAs. A number of consultations with State Governments, experts and farmers’ organizations were held in recent months. Efforts are being made to encourage farmers’ field schools, public-private partnership and other mechanisms. It is also proposed to ensure that each state has a core group of extension workers which will play a catalytic role in facilitating extension services through various approaches, agencies and methods. In the wake of farmers’ suicides reported from some states, a Special Package with an estimated cost of Rs.17,000 crore is being implemented in 31 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. It includes a variety of activities such as greater access to credit, use of quality seed, land and water conservation measures, horticulture and animal husbandry activities and so on. Based on the experience of the last two years, it is being proposed to re-orient the package, where necessary. It is also proposed to address the problem of farmers’ indebtedness comprehensively. Agricultural Insurance Managing agricultural risk is an important ingredient of our development process. The idea is to encourage farmers to adopt improved farming technology and agricultural practices which, though with potential of higher return, could be riskier. The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme is being implemented since the Rabi 2000 season. It is proposed to introduce certain modifications based on the past experience. During the current financial year, a Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) has been introduced on a pilot basis. It is proposed to be implemented in 12 States during the current Rabi season. In spite of substantial funding the coverage of agricultural insurance is still inadequate. In order to expand the coverage, the WBCIS envisages involvement of the private sector. In fact, two private companies have joined the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. for the implementation of WBCIS. There are other aspects such as rural infrastructure, natural resource management including land and water, expanding the use of micro-irrigation and the rural non-farm sector that are relevant to increasing farmers’ income and welfare. Development of the rural non-farm sector is particularly important so as to diversify the sources of livelihood and improve income. Needless to say, in spite of tremendous progress after Independence, both in agriculture and other sectors, much remains to be done in order to improve the condition of farmers. Concerns remain in several areas: deficient input supply mechanism, inadequate access to credit, lack of marketing infrastructure and exploitation by middlemen, rising pressure on land and water, inadequate insurance cover and the like. Dependence on the monsoon remains very high. Problems are many. In a vast like ours there is bound to be some problem somewhere. However, the renewed focus on agriculture in recent times and concerted efforts appear to have started yielding positive results. There are indications of revival in the agriculture sector. At this juncture it is necessary to identify our priorities with clarity and make all-out efforts to ensure effective action. There are ideas. Good technologies are available. What we need to do is to see that all these are put to practice and there is an effective delivery mechanism. As envisaged in the National Policy on Farmers, our focus should be to improve the income and welfare of farmers. This implies not only higher production and productivity, but also improving the capabilities of farmers to compete on the market place. It is necessary to ensure rural infrastructure, improved marketing facilities, effective system of delivery of input, credit and other services. There is a need to have a holistic approach incorporating rural infrastructure, dissemination of better technology, sustainable use of natural resources and development of the rural non-farm sector.



Dr P K Mishra is a Secretary of Agriculture and Cooperation