FARMERS IN INDIA

Seventy percent of India’s population and one third of its national income depend on agriculture. Yet, farmers in India continue to be the most deprived community.

The social and economic conditions of farmers in India improved a lot in 1960s, soon after the green revolution happened. With an increased use of the hybrid variety of seeds and better technology incomes and standard of living of farmers improved. But this period was short lived as the condition of farmers in India has deteriorated in the recent years. Protests by farmers all across the nation have highlighted their plight.

Unlike the 1960s, agricultural growth rates have shown unstable growth. The last decade was characterised by stagnant agricultural growth rate and falling income. In words of M.S. Swaminathan,  “something has gone very and terribly wrong in the countryside”. Even though India is an agrarian economy, a large number of farmers in India are below poverty line. With an agricultural growth rate lesser than the GDP growth rate, a large number of marginal farmers and agricultural labourers have been pushed into poverty. Even after desperate attempts by the government to uplift the farmers, their condition have shown no improvement. They continue to face challenges such as rampant urbanisation, climatic changes, unwillingness of the local authorities, decreasing farm size etc. that are pulling down the growth rates.

Situation of farmers in India is worse than in any other developing nation. Almost every state is struggling with increasing statistics of farmers’ suicides. Rising debts, crop failures due to uneven monsoon, decline in prices due to fluctuations in demand and supply etc. are some of the reasons that have aggravated the situation.

Awareness campaigns to help farmers know about recent technological development in the field of agriculture should be conducted on regular intervals. Providing funds to farmers to help them start small scale businesses will help those who wish to quit agriculture. Government needs to ensure that the benefits of subsidies seep down and even the most deprives sections can also avail them. Administrators need to ensure the misuse of the government subsidies by the well-off farmers is prevented. Better information about risk and insurance must reach the farmers. Helplines to help farmers come out of distress needs to be improved so that it can reach a larger population.

With failed attempts to uplift farmers, loopholes in the administration system are evident. Immediate reforms are required to help the farmers as they are the ones responsible for the food in our plates.