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Monday, November 5, 2007

The Grain drain may touch our lives any time…

India is really shining….with a robust and consistent GDP showing with a record FII investments and exports…..and what not…?

I know it is not fair to see negative aspects when we are going in high gears of prosperity. But forgive me readers..I just can’t keep quiet when I see this headlessness…!! ( I’m not a Ronen Sen to use a similar word, but it’s a mere coincidence..).

In the whole world, every economist knows that India is an Agriculture Economy where the majority of the population still depends on the Agriculture and associated jobs to meet both the ends of life. This fact, even our great economists who govern this country know very well.

Now, the irony of life is that the most endangered species of life in India is not the tigers of Gir forest, but the farmers of our country. East or West, North or South they are getting self killed in numbers, some getting noticed by the so called powerful media ( of and for powerful people )and some are deliberately ignored by the same media.

For politicians, the farmers were always a cause and roadmap to power. They climbed up the ladder, even up to the superior power of the country and then did everything to keep up the same condition as to retain the power and then used it whenever they want to climb the power ladders…. So their intention was to not to resolve, but to take some populistic measures like rice for poor programme etc., and to make the governments bankrupt and thus making urban population think that the entire bankruptcy is because of the villages…. A well carved political rift between the city and villages…..

Indian Agronomists, Scientists, Farmers’ groups and all other concerned Governmental and Non Governmental Organizations should come together and devise an emergency mechanism to provide valuable inputs in increasing yield per cultivated land and a proper mechanism for better prices for farm produces and technological innovation for more viable farming. Above all, there should be a very root level awareness and training programme on “Post harvest Handling’ of produces among the farmers. I’m sure once the farming becomes a profitable profession, then there will be young and techno savvy entrepreneurs venturing into farming without hesitation.

You have alarming reports of shortage of grains and the country which was grain sufficient till recent past is importing wheat from Australia this year and the quantity of import is predicted to go up next year, if the Government does not take drastic measures with immediate effect to curb this. Another horrifying fact is the conversion of fertile cultivable land into residential plots by the real estate mafia and headless governments adds their part in the name of SEzs. There are large chunk of non-cultivable land still available, but no one really thinks about converting those lands into industrial and residential zones as your setting up cost will increase due to the non-availability of natural resources.

We will & we do borrow technology for making soaps and tooth pastes by allowing MNCs to have a free ride on our large chunk of consumer society, but reluctant to get the best agri-tech from Israel in the name of safe diplomacy and much teeth less Non Allignment Movement and so on…

You ask the Ministry of Agriculture about the action plan to deal the crisis situation in future, they may come up with lots of book worm theories and never ending projects which will see crores of tax payers money flowing into private pockets of a few! The Governments change and years pass, but we the people never respond to a Rs.35 per 1Kg of rice and Rs. 55 per 1 Kg of wheat….. We’ll not mind sending our children to work as bonded labourers in ITES companies and reduce their life span, thanks to the rotating shifts of work and keep yelling and killing each other over petty issues of community, caste and religion and ultimately regions. The people who instigate us at various occasions know very well that they can distract our focus like this forever and have a gala time for themselves. And in the end of the day we pray God and blame our destiny for all these bad days and live happily thereafter…..!!!