During medieval time Indian agricultural sector thrived and laid foundations to many cities. "AGRICULTURE" as the name itself implies the cultural attachment to people, harvesting seasons were used to be regard as festivals with most beautiful folk songs. Agriculture was well established and sustained by itself, contributed largely to industrial sector. Especially textile industries and trading.
Let's go back some time to understand how agricultural sector was systematically deprived and left to ruins. Under exploitary British Indian rule economy deprived and agricultural sector took the maximum hit due to heavy taxes on farming, textile exports, etc. To promote British textiles, British had cut off the hands of thousands of textile weavers which almost ruined textile sector and approximately 3 millions dependents were starved to death. After the British rule agricultural sector received the least attention. In fact most of the government policies are towards small farmers or the small farms. These type of inefficient policies driving farmers into debt trap.
Even today in 21st century the condition of farmers is no different than the British era, despite many green revolutions, farmers suicides continues. Especially the lands ceiling act 1972 had broke the backbone of agricultural sector and torn it into pieces. Before the lands ceiling act most of the lands used to be cultivated by big farmers were taken away by the government to distribute the land to labours who were poor and uneducated for political gains. At that point of time the prime minister's decision could be true but in modern day that event indirectly put agricultural sector into jeopardy. As a consequence of such a act large farming was fragmented into micro farming, approximately 70% of farmers owns land less than 5-10 acres per family today. With such small land farmers won't be able to provide a decent living to their family, such as education, medecine, clothing etc.
Due to lesser land mass, farmers won't be able to afford modern equipments such as tractors, harvesting machines, other related tools, which requires less labours. Neither farmers can sell their produce in the free market without the intervention of middlemens.
The most disturbing factor is farming is heavily dependent on monsoons and on river water, due to global warming monsoons are uncertain and agricultural production not certain. Unavailability of labour is the additional challenge that farmers are facing today. Let us see an example of a good economic farming. We assume there's good rainfall, though farmers still faces challenges right from the sowing to till the crop harvesting, such challenges are unavailability of labours, various diseases to crops etc. Due to higher employment of labour the cost of agricultural production becomes higher but agricultural product marketing system in India is exploitary process and employes very unscientific methods in pricing of the commodities. In such situation farmers end up losing their investment.
To sell the agricultural commodities farmers has to carry the produce to nearest towns and the price of the commodities will be decided by "BROKERS" and "TRADERS." Indian Agricultural Produce Marketing system is a absolute gambling process. Farmers are either educated nor equipped to participate, in such situations farmers are not in a condition to store or bring back their commodity. Due to such corrupt marketing system many farmers won't be able to meet their financial obligations. Without any doubt that they end up in debt traps. When they miss their loan instalments banks start sending notice threats, sometimes even goons to settle the financial matters.
As per recent research the Indian agricultural system is less beneficiary and failing to attract future younger generation, hardly 3% of next generation farmers are getting involved in agricultural sector. If the decline of agricultural sector continues at such fast pace, it is not possible to feed 1.3 billion population in the future. Agriculture is the basis of all the civilizations, which set a firm base to largest cities and to all civilizations so far. If we continue to neglect the agricultural sector no doubt that we'll hit the wall very soon.
Let's go back some time to understand how agricultural sector was systematically deprived and left to ruins. Under exploitary British Indian rule economy deprived and agricultural sector took the maximum hit due to heavy taxes on farming, textile exports, etc. To promote British textiles, British had cut off the hands of thousands of textile weavers which almost ruined textile sector and approximately 3 millions dependents were starved to death. After the British rule agricultural sector received the least attention. In fact most of the government policies are towards small farmers or the small farms. These type of inefficient policies driving farmers into debt trap.
Even today in 21st century the condition of farmers is no different than the British era, despite many green revolutions, farmers suicides continues. Especially the lands ceiling act 1972 had broke the backbone of agricultural sector and torn it into pieces. Before the lands ceiling act most of the lands used to be cultivated by big farmers were taken away by the government to distribute the land to labours who were poor and uneducated for political gains. At that point of time the prime minister's decision could be true but in modern day that event indirectly put agricultural sector into jeopardy. As a consequence of such a act large farming was fragmented into micro farming, approximately 70% of farmers owns land less than 5-10 acres per family today. With such small land farmers won't be able to provide a decent living to their family, such as education, medecine, clothing etc.
Due to lesser land mass, farmers won't be able to afford modern equipments such as tractors, harvesting machines, other related tools, which requires less labours. Neither farmers can sell their produce in the free market without the intervention of middlemens.
The most disturbing factor is farming is heavily dependent on monsoons and on river water, due to global warming monsoons are uncertain and agricultural production not certain. Unavailability of labour is the additional challenge that farmers are facing today. Let us see an example of a good economic farming. We assume there's good rainfall, though farmers still faces challenges right from the sowing to till the crop harvesting, such challenges are unavailability of labours, various diseases to crops etc. Due to higher employment of labour the cost of agricultural production becomes higher but agricultural product marketing system in India is exploitary process and employes very unscientific methods in pricing of the commodities. In such situation farmers end up losing their investment.
To sell the agricultural commodities farmers has to carry the produce to nearest towns and the price of the commodities will be decided by "BROKERS" and "TRADERS." Indian Agricultural Produce Marketing system is a absolute gambling process. Farmers are either educated nor equipped to participate, in such situations farmers are not in a condition to store or bring back their commodity. Due to such corrupt marketing system many farmers won't be able to meet their financial obligations. Without any doubt that they end up in debt traps. When they miss their loan instalments banks start sending notice threats, sometimes even goons to settle the financial matters.
As per recent research the Indian agricultural system is less beneficiary and failing to attract future younger generation, hardly 3% of next generation farmers are getting involved in agricultural sector. If the decline of agricultural sector continues at such fast pace, it is not possible to feed 1.3 billion population in the future. Agriculture is the basis of all the civilizations, which set a firm base to largest cities and to all civilizations so far. If we continue to neglect the agricultural sector no doubt that we'll hit the wall very soon.
