The agricultural sector in India is going through an upheaval never seen before. The Farm Bills were approved by both Houses of Parliament amidst unprecedented protests especially in the Rajya Sabha but it’s sad that the Goa Government has been extremely distant from the matter. Infact we had our MP Vinay Tendulkar raising ‘Love Jihad’ issue instead of talking about Goa’s stand on the Farm Bills.
Despite our all round progress beyond agricultural sector we should remember that India is predominantly an agrarian economy and the food requirements of our large population is entirely dependent on agriculture.
Goans too are basically an agrarian community and we need to be aware of the changes taking place in this sector which is directly linked to our existential necessity- Food.
The fears that Corporates will overrun the agricultural sector are not totally unfounded since the present Government is functioning totally in favour of the Corporates. The small farmers who live on a hand-to-mouth existence stand to be obliterated if proper Government mechanisms are not put in place to safeguard their interests. Contractual system envisaged in the new Bills have the potential to regress into the torturous and decadent Zamindari system, especially in rural India where education and awareness are still a far cry. These small, illiterate and ill-equipped farmers who form a large chunk should be protected and guided through the changing systems failing which this lot will not be able to survive.
The onus should be on ensuring the progress of these small farmers who have been down-trodden through the ages. They should be given support to prosper in their own surroundings for that will be the real prosperity of India. And if this unorganised rural sector prospers then our villages too will prosper. An increase in their purchasing power will enable infrastructure development and curtail migration to cities. Such a self-sufficient village economy was what our nations founding fathers envisaged.
When the world is on the brink of famine & hunger, the prerogative should be on sustenance of the present with a well planned healthy transition into the new. Ensuring this requires not just passing of Bills but simple and effective mechanism to ensure the change without destroying the livelihoods of our farmers .
Self sufficiency in food grains and allied products will be the true benchmark of AtmaNirbhar Bharat and the Government’s be it the State or Central, should work towards the interests of agriculture sector and empowerment of the farmers.
Hence if our farmers who are the main stakeholders feel apprehensive about the present Farm Bills then a rethink is absolutely necessary. India’s agricultural sector is mostly unorganised and a majority have low literacy levels. and thus the Farm Bills should neither prove detrimental to the farmers nor become a political tool. It is these circumstances that call for The President of India to take the initiative towards a more constructively discussed and transparent version of the Farm Bills.
