Agriculture needs long-term action beyond financial support packages (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 4: Economy
Prelims level: PM-KISAN
Mains level: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives,

Context

•  The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme Rs 6,000 annually, payable in three equal installments to every farmer owning up to two hectares of agricultural land
•  Telangana’s Rythu Bandhu scheme giving farmer-owners Rs 8,000 per acre per year.
•  Odisha’s Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation or KALIA scheme widened the package (Rs 10,000-12,500 annual support per family) to include even sharecroppers and landless agricultural households.
•  Strikingly, no ruling party, interested in addressing the root of the problems confronting the
  farming community.

Enhancing food-grain production

•  In order to enhance food grain production, investments in irrigation, subsidised farm inputs, and provided (MSP) support for procurement of marketable surpluses.
•  At the time of Independence, India produced a mere 50 million tonnes of food-grains for a population of about 350 million.
•  After seven decades, despite population growing by nearly four times, the country is food-grain-surplus, with production having increased by six times.
•  Farm sector is under greater stress today than in the past.
•  Critical issues get side-tracked packages whenever elections draw near.
•  Financial support packages may cause more harm than good in the longer run.

Addressing the loopholes

•  Laws has been made to share-cropping is illegal.
•  Involving Gram Panchayats in identifying eligible beneficiaries might lead to the scheme’s politicisation and decentralising corrupt practices.
•  Agricultural loans are paper transactions, with subsistence farmers even unaware of the outstanding dues against them.
•  Loan waiver affects undeserving individuals or entities faking transactions.
•  The lower incidence of suicides among stressed farmers in eastern states Money lenders.
•  Resource-poor farmers are generally voiceless and incapable of undertaking aggressive forms of protests.
•  Farmers producing seasonal fruits and vegetables suffer, whenever there is a bumper harvest and there is no MSP protection for them.

Long-term relief requires:

•  Structural reform of the farm sector and investments in infrastructure.
•  Proper Irrigation facilities.
•  Infrastructure for storage, processing, sorting, grading, packaging and marketing of varied agricultural produce, depending upon commercial demand trends.
•  Break the stranglehold of intermediaries.

Conclusion

•  Agriculture is a state subject under the Constitution; Paddy in Punjab is as much a cash crop as cotton is in Maharashtra.
•  Encouraging the private sector to develop cold storage and warehousing infrastructure, besides putting up processing units particularly for perishable commodities.
•  Also the contract farming and share-cropping needs to be formalised.
•  Heavily subsidised food-grains, and even cooked meals in some states, have already started showing adverse effects on the human psyche, instinct for survival and sense of pride.

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to Biopiracy, consider the following statements:
1. It is unauthorised use of biological reserve by entities outside a country which has pre-existing knowledge of rare biological reserves.
2. It is linked only to drug research and development.

Select the correct answer using code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Mains Questions:
Q.1) Agriculture needs long-term action beyond financial support packages. Critically Examine.