what the indian kissan need today?

[anilkc]

Majority of jat community is still tied to agriculture. I know most of the members on this forum are not currently farmers, but sure have someone in their family, friends and neibhours who still are. The farming community is in stagnation and is moving out of agriculture. A few have progressed but majority of them have failed. I dont know what is the reason of frustration which is driving jats to risk all and sell their land for "greener" pastures. What do u all think is the most important reason for this downfall of our farming community ?

[dahbal]

Hi Anil,

There are lots of reasons of downfall in farming community:
(1) Land is going decreasing day by day.
(2) Farmers are not using latest technologies.
(3) Government is not providing better facilities like irrigations,seed and some trainings on latest technologies.
(4) Farmers are not getting right price for their crops.
(5) Farmers are not getting price of their sugar-cane at time.They normally get after six months or one years.
(6) Subsidies,insurance and loan facility are not proper available for farmers.

There are others reasons also.

-Balraj


anil chaudhary (Oct 29, 2003 12:52 p.m.):
Majority of jat community is still tied to agriculture. I know most of the members on this forum are not currently farmers, but sure have someone in their family, friends and neibhours who still are. The farming community is in stagnation and is moving out of agriculture. A few have progressed but majority of them have failed. I dont know what is the reason of frustration which is driving jats to risk all and sell their land for "greener" pastures. What do u all think is the most important reason for this downfall of our farming community ?

[anilkc]

(1) Land is going decreasing day by day.
..why ? if we know the reason we can find a solution.
(2) Farmers are not using latest technologies.
..who is stopping farmers from using latest technology ?
(3) Government is not providing better facilities like irrigations,seed and some trainings on latest technologies.
...instead of fighting and voting gov. on basis of free electricity and water, no income tax, fight for irrigation facilty and gauranteed elctricity, but be ready to pay for it. Send ur sons to agriculture college/do research on improving seeds and fertilizer...rather than just get some degree and join sarkari naukri.
(4) Farmers are not getting right price for their crops.
...why ? why fight for minimum support price? fight for free trade and use latest tech to store/transport and sell where u get the best price. I remember a couple of elections back HP govt was thrown out bcos they removed MSP for apples. Farmers need to be educated in economics.
(5) Farmers are not getting price of their sugar-cane at time.They normally get after six months or one years.
..free the market. Some yrs may be bad, but on a avg the price always increase over many yrs. Just like any business farmers should be comfortable with losses some yrs. Policies which tryies to protect the farmers from losses only creates stagnation in long run.
(6) Subsidies,insurance and loan facility are not proper available for farmers.
...subsidy should only be there to protect from unfair competetion and not just competetion. If farmers agree to work as an professionally managed business, they will get the insurance and loans. Just see how the film industry is evolving in last couple of yrs.

The emotional issues and fear of change is causing farming community to slide back.

These are my opinion or may be just mis-conceptions as an outsider to farming community. Someone from farming community may be able to shed more light. I would like to hear from them and understand it better.

[anilkc]

just another thing on (5). Most business dont get paid upfront or the next day. I have seen on an avg a minimum of 90 days period for payment. What probabily the farmer needs is an gaurantee infrastructure which makes sure that farmers get paid within a predictable timeframe and the money will not just vanish.

[haritta]

Hi Anil
very simple brother's separate the land becomes half. the cost of farming goes sky high and when they have two kids the land again becomes half so in the end there will be no land left doesnot need a rocket sicientist to figuer this out. the key is how the brother's can do collective farming and keeping the kitchen separate. if u can help in that the solution of land is solved . all the best and hope u get sucess in doing that i tried manytimes but didnot suceed in getting them to do farming together maybe u might be able to do it so go ahead and give it a try.

[scsheorayan]

It is simple economics.With education and increased importance given to materialism farmers also have to look for alternate professions. It is not so much the scarcity of land but return on investment which is never guaranteed in farming. This phenomenon is not limited to India. Australian farmers are facing a different type of succession problem. Farmers children do not want to live in the country side and they have become city siders. Thus old farmers have to manage it themselves as long as they can. Farming in Australia is quite different from India. It is more specialised and more rewarding too, but isolation is worse.

[anilkc]

lands gets divided...hummm...do not divide land, divide the income from land...blah blah...

[bnashier]

Mr. Anil:

Sometimes we push the envelope so far that our attitude requires a well-deserved dose. But often we end up indulging in discussions on a topic with outright ignorance of the realities of systems. Therefore, before I write anything in this case, let me ask you simply this.
Are you from a farmer's family? Do you have any relatives who are farmers? Do you have any direct knowledge of farmers and their lives in India?

[rkumar]

anil chaudhary (Nov 01, 2003 06:29 p.m.):
lands gets divided...hummm...do not divide land, divide the income from land...blah blah...


Dear Anil,

Division, multiplication and all other arithmatic functions work fine on paper but not in day to day life. Not dividing the land and dividing only the income requires larger hearts and peaceful brains which are not an easy thing. Jats alone are not to be blamed for this, even kings and their kins have these problems. This is in our biology to have our own piece of cake, even if its a small bite. We all know that samll is beautiful but not so small that it becomes impractical economically. You know how large countries get divided into smaller ones, large states in India got divided, there are even city countries in the world. Economics alone does not drive man. There are many forces which work on us all. Problem is not in dividing income, real problem comes in inputing the labour and other resources according to share in land if one decides to work collectively. Its well know that the productivity is much lower in collective farming as evey one orders the other to work and in the end no one works. As human being we follow very funny habits where laws of Arithmatic do not work. You seem to be applying conventional business approach to agriculture and be assured in due cource of time there will be take overs, though not the mergers, in agriculure also as they happen in other businesses. Many small farmers are selling their lands thereby giving way to larger holdings. Laws on simple economic will take care of agriculture as well.

Regards
Rajendra

[dahbal]

Hi Anil,

I can't give you the proof of every reasons but I can tell me the main drawbacks is lack of unity in our community or kissan.In our community people are not helping to others.We have rich,medium and poor peoples in our Kissan or our community.But rich people are not helping poor people.In Haryana more than 40-50 % MLA's OR MP's are from our community.How much they are helping our community?Everybody is looking for own pocket only.

I belongs to a Kissan family and we have land in our village.We cultivate our land and grow crops .I know everything in details.

I have seen the actual positions of kissan or our community in villages.Everybody is applying british rule "Foot Dalo, Raj karo".They have only works like go to court daily,drinking,fighting and to insult other peoples.

Tell me how you can solve these all problems and provide them all facilities which they will require without the unity.

Those people who are doing jobs in Agriculture Universities can give some Knowledge dissemination & sharing seminar on agriculture and latest technologies in agriculture in every district or few villages in a district or state.
May be this can help our kissan.

-Balraj



anil chaudhary (Oct 31, 2003 02:57 p.m.):
(1) Land is going decreasing day by day.
..why ? if we know the reason we can find a solution.
(2) Farmers are not using latest technologies.
..who is stopping farmers from using latest technology ?
(3) Government is not providing better facilities like irrigations,seed and some trainings on latest technologies.
...instead of fighting and voting gov. on basis of free electricity and water, no income tax, fight for irrigation facilty and gauranteed elctricity, but be ready to pay for it. Send ur sons to agriculture college/do research on improving seeds and fertilizer...rather than just get some degree and join sarkari naukri.
(4) Farmers are not getting right price for their crops.
...why ? why fight for minimum support price? fight for free trade and use latest tech to store/transport and sell where u get the best price. I remember a couple of elections back HP govt was thrown out bcos they removed MSP for apples. Farmers need to be educated in economics.
(5) Farmers are not getting price of their sugar-cane at time.They normally get after six months or one years.
..free the market. Some yrs may be bad, but on a avg the price always increase over many yrs. Just like any business farmers should be comfortable with losses some yrs. Policies which tryies to protect the farmers from losses only creates stagnation in long run.
(6) Subsidies,insurance and loan facility are not proper available for farmers.
...subsidy should only be there to protect from unfair competetion and not just competetion. If farmers agree to work as an professionally managed business, they will get the insurance and loans. Just see how the film industry is evolving in last couple of yrs.

The emotional issues and fear of change is causing farming community to slide back.

These are my opinion or may be just mis-conceptions as an outsider to farming community. Someone from farming community may be able to shed more light. I would like to hear from them and understand it better.

[anilkc]

I am an "outsider" to farming and have clearly written more than once in my postings that I am ignorant abt it and wud like to have feedback from the "insiders".
The problem is that majority of people who can do something to help our farming community are also far removed from farming just like me.
All I am trying to do is to make an attempt to get the other side of the story and break down the barrier between farmers and non-farmers.
I may not be able to help our community today in a big way, but still can contribute in small ways by making decisions based on direct feedback from farmers rather than what politician or newspaper walas say. shud i vote for a party that supports WTO? shud i buy the "improved" seeds from the multinational companies or trade it from a local farmer for my kitchen garden? Shud i buy buy milk from the local gwala or one of the packaged once?
There are lots of other ways the non-farming community can contribute, bcos we are the consumer of what they produce. By a simple choice of of what to buy and at what price we can decide the future of a farmer.

I remember the "mandal" protests in Delhi. Looking back after so many years I realised that my participation had very little to do with "informed choices" and more to do with pure "young boiling blood". I do not want to make the same mistake again.

Farmers divide the land..but how do tata, birla, bajaj etc manage to stay and grow. They too do pass on their wealth to the next generation. I think that its the definition of wealth. Farmer still thinks of land as a currency while these people think in terms "money". A land divided looses its value while u can still divide Rs100, into 2 Rs50 w/o lossing any value and reinvest that to make it 100 each again. But farmers are not alone to blame. They beleived what the netas told them. They could not come up with an inovative soln which cud have been an alternative to Land reform act.

And perhaps its the human instinct to prefer something physical that they can touch, see and feel over some numbers seen in a bank balance or corporate balance sheets. I see even big businesses giving priority to buying land and campus building spree which many regret down the line. Just drive through Kolakat and more recently silicon valley
to see it.