Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006 |
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Opinion
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Agriculture Agri-Biz & Commodities - Insight Columns - Public Policy Note Draft National Policy for Farmers: Seeking an ever-green revolution Bhanoji Rao
Given the context of slow growth of the agricultural sector plus the distress among farmers leading several to end their lives, it is encouraging to see the title, Serving farmers and saving farming, for the draft National Policy for Farmers (NPF). The draft was issued in April and after due nation-wide public debate will be finalised by August 15 next year. The NPF is sweeping in its coverage that touches upon landless agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, tenants, small/marginal/sub-marginal cultivators, farmers with large holdings, fishermen, dairy/poultry farmers, sheep breeders, plantation workers, as well as those engaged in a variety of farming-related occupations such as sericulture and vermiculture.
Re-focussing policy
An important objective of the NPF is to re-focus policy on "the women and men feeding the nation, thus moving away from an attitude, which measures progress only in millions of tonnes of foodgrains and other farm commodities." This is underscored in the context of 65 per cent of the population deriving livelihood from farming; farm population growing by 1.84 per cent per annum; the average farm size becoming smaller and the cost-risk-return structure of farming becoming adverse. All this is increasingly pushing farmers into debt, leading to distress and even suicides in some cases. Also, there has been a drop in investments, government and private. Further, the farm subsidy policies have led to a distortion in land use and fertiliser consumption and encouraged unsustainable exploitation of groundwater, resulting in productivity decline and cost escalation.
Key objectives
Some of the relatively important objectives of the mission statement of NPF include: Putting an end to farmer suicides, completing the unfinished agenda in land reforms, protecting and improving land, water, biodiversity and climate resources, and introducing measures that can help attract and retain youth in farming. Apart from immediate short-term solutions to take care of the families of the deceased farmers and counselling those in distress, the NPF calls for setting up a Price Stabilisation Fund. This is a good and correct idea, but the devil is in the detail. About a fortnight ago, tomatoes were selling at Rs 14 a kg in Delhi but for Rs 2 in a small town in Andhra Pradesh. While the NPF draft says that farmers should be vouchsafed government intervention to prevent distress sales, it would be useful to know how the machinery will work to raise the price of tomatoes of the AP producer.
Land reforms
On the issue of land reform, the NPF notes that the ownership of land is highly skewed with over 60 per cent of the rural households owning less than one hectare. The data are 15 years old and the NPF says: "These data relate to 1991-92 and it is obvious that by now there would have been further fragmentation of holdings leading to a much larger incidence of very small operational holdings." It is a pity that policy-making has to be based on outdated data. Extrapolations though acceptable are not the same as up-to-date data. The NPF also says: "The first and foremost task of the National Policy for Farmers should be in the area of land reform with particular reference to tenancy laws, distribution of ceiling-surplus land, attention to common property and wasteland resources, and the consolidation of holdings. ... Also, there should be stringent restrictions on the diversion of prime farmland for non-farm purposes." If the State governments can be persuaded to adhere to these recommendations, it would help in not only ensuring secure tenancy and some land to the landless, but, most crucially, could help conserve precious farm land.
State farms for SHGs
The NPF suggests that the state farms be used by women self-help groups for the production of hybrid and improved seeds of crop plants, vegetables, fruits and flowers. It also suggests that such farms be used for developing Living Heritage Gene Banks of local breeds of cattle. These are very sensible suggestions though the implementation methods need to be worked out. On irrigation, the NPF not only has a good recommendation but also the first step in an implementation strategy. Specifically, it calls for a strategy to bring 10 million hectares of new area under irrigation through the Bharat Nirman programme. It also recommends that all existing wells and ponds should be renovated. But unless there is financial devolution and fixing of responsibility, such activities would remain only on paper. The NPF rightly notes that land-use decisions are also water-use decisions. Thus, it recommends that in areas characterised by water scarcity, the cropping pattern should be low water requiring and comprise high-value crops such as pulses. The recommendation should be carefully reviewed with an eye on how to put the idea into practice and why it has not been implemented thus far.
Overcoming technology fatigue
The Science and Technology section brims with ideas. The NPF seeks new technologies "for overcoming the prevailing technology fatigue... . Frontier technologies like biotechnology, information and communication technology, renewable energy technologies, space applications and nanotechnology provide uncommon opportunities for launching an ever-green revolution, capable of improving productivity in perpetuity without ecological harm." The NPF also affirms that the research strategy should be pro-nature and pro-small farmer. It suggests, for instance, that in the case of Bt cotton, the emphasis should be on developing varieties rather than hybrids, to enable farmers keep their own seeds. Whether in proclaiming that agriculture is becoming knowledge-intensive and human resource development holds the key for the future of agriculture, or in urging for the establishment of a National Biosecurity Council, a National Centre for Agricultural Biosecurity and a National Agricultural Biosecurity Network, or in regard to the discussion on assured and remunerative marketing opportunities, the authors of the Draft NPF have given one of the most comprehensive and all-inclusive set of suggestions, recommendations and guidelines to take agriculture to a high growth path and free farming from current inadequacies. As suggested towards the end of the Draft, there is indeed `no time to relax' and one would like to see action on implementation issues. As an end note, consider the statement from the NPF Draft on page one, which says that a recent NSSO survey reveals that nearly 40 per cent of farmers would like to quit farming, if they have the option. Creating that option is also the task of the government policies and programmes, in effect aiming for, say, just about a quarter of the present farming population to produce the much cherished 4 per cent growth in agriculture. (The author, formerly with the National University of Singapore and the World Bank, currently holds several honorary/visiting positions. He can be reached at bhanoji@gmail.com)
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