(This write-up is based on the comments on the Draft Policy made during a discussion held in Bhubaneswar.   -Editor)

1.         Draft Policy Released:

In April 2006 the National Farmers’ Commission (NFC), of which Dr. MS Swaminathan is the Chairman, presented to the Government of India the ‘Draft National Policy for Farmers’. The NFC had then warned that inaction on the recommendations of the Draft National Policy For Farmers will result in expansion of threats to internal peace and security, reverting India to ship-to-mouth existence thereby diluting national sovereignty, enlarging rural-urban divide and job-less and job-loss economic growth. The UPA Govt. at the centre had constituted the NFC in November 2004 soon after coming to power, with a declared purpose of finding solutions to the growing agrarian crisis across India that has resulted in thousands of farmers’ suicides.  The NFC claims to have held regional level consultations and collected views/comments from Farmers’ and Fisher Peoples’ Associations, as well as women’s organisations, State Governments, financial institutions, SHGs, co-operative federations, public and private companies, mass media and all other stakeholders. The Government of India has initiated a process of preparing a final version of the National Policy for Farmers, which will be presented to the people of India on 15th August 2007.

2.         Scope of the Policy:

The policy document deals with policies on asset reforms that include policies for land reforms, livestock reforms, aquarian reforms and water sector reforms. The policy document also deals with climate change, bio-diversity and science & technology in agriculture wherein an elaborate ‘National Agricultural Bio-Security System' (NABS) has been recommended, which seems to be one of the key recommendations of the NFC. The policy document recommends the formation of the Indian Trade Organisation to safeguard farmers’ interests within WTO, spells out the bottom line for policy making in agriculture and suggests that the Ministry of Agriculture be renamed as Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. It also contains the recommendation that each state set-up its own State Farmers’ Commission and the annual report prepared by such commissions should be placed before the state legislatures for discussion and decision.

3.         Policy Justification Breeds Suspicion:

The NFC documents says "…during the past ten years production and productivity have remained stagnant or even tended to go down. .. The decline in the growth of agriculture has now led to a climate of despair among farmer families, policy makers and the general public. Some areas in the states of Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have been affected by a serious agrarian crisis, leading occasionally to farmers’ suicides. It is clear that the human dimension must be the principal determinant of agricultural policies and not just production in physical terms." The whole of the country is in the grip of an acute agrarian crisis and it is not correct to say that such a situation is prevalent in only those areas where farmers have committed suicides.  The justification given in support of the policy recommendations is to be seen with suspicion.  

By saying that the human dimension must be the principal determinant of agricultural policies and not just production in physical terms the NFC wants the people to believe that the country is doing fine in terms of physical production and the situation is a case of proper remuneration for the farmers’ produce.  This is an attempt of the NFC to divert the attention of the public from the real situation. While there is need to ensure adequate remuneration for the farmers it is equally important to enhance food production for ensuring food security for the entire population of the country.

The revised draft of the ‘National Policy for Farmers’ was submitted by the NFC on 10th October 2006. These comments of the proposed National Policy for Farmers are actually on the April 2006 draft. The October 2006 draft has been referred only occasionally.

II.         Goals and Missions:

4. Ten Major Goals-Image Making for the Government:

The Revised Draft National Policy For Farmers submitted to the Government in October 2006 has set out ten major goals to be achieved, which are as follows:

(1)        To improve the economic viability of farming by ensuring that farmers earn a ‘minimum net income’ and ensure that agricultural progress is measured by the advance made in improving that income.

(2)        To mainstream the human and gender dimension in all farm policies and programmes and to give explicit attention to sustainable rural livelihoods.

(3)        To complete the unfinished agenda in land reforms and to initiate comprehensive asset and aquarian reform.

(4)        To develop and introduce a social security system and support services for farmers.

(5)        To protect and improve the land, water, biodiversity and climate resources essential for sustained advances in the productivity, profitability and stability of major farming systems by creating an economic stake in conservation.

(6)        To foster community-centred food, water and energy security systems in rural India and to ensure nutrition security at the level of every child, woman and man.

(7)        To introduce measures which can help to attract and retain youth in farming by making it both intellectually stimulating and economically rewarding by conferring the power and economy of scale to small and marginal farmers both in the production and post-harvest phases of farming.

(8)        To strengthen the bio-security of crops, farm animals, fish and forest trees for safeguarding both the work and income security of farmer families, and the health and trade security of the nation.

(9)        To restructure agricultural curriculum and pedagogic methodologies for enabling every farm and home science graduate to become an entrepreneur and to make agricultural education gender sensitive.

(10)      To make India a global outsourcing hub in the production and supply of inputs needed for sustainable agriculture, and products and processes developed through biotechnology and information and communication technologies.

Before coming to the policy measures the ten goals needs to be understood properly. It is important to note that the October 2006 draft has dropped the goal of ending farmers’ suicides which was a part of the 7 missions included in the April 2006 draft. The 7 missions of the April draft are discussed below.

5. Mainstreaming the Human Dimension (Mission-1):

The mission of mainstreaming the human dimension in all farm policies and programmes and to give explicit attention to issues relating to women in agriculture has been included in a casual manner meant to create a positive image for the draft document.  A Government that is utterly anti-farmer and the person responsible for forcing anti-farmer agricultural polices on Indian farmers since 1965 cannot be expected to bring back the human dimension in farm policies and programmes.

6. Ending Farmers’ Suicides (Mission-2):

From whatever has come to the public eye it is becoming clear day by day that the government is not serious about ending farmers’ suicides. It is reported that after the Prime Minister announced the Rs.3750 crore agricultural package for Vidharbha, more than 800 farmers have already committed suicide.  The same is the situation in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Kerala. Farmers’ suicides have just begun in Orissa. Suicides happen, the media creates hype, packages are announced and then the media, politicians and technocrats forget farmers’ suicides. All that the government has done to apparently stop farmer suicides has actually helped the banking sector, the corporates in agricultural inputs/ implements/ water business. This mission of ending farmers’ suicides do not feature in the October 2006 draft of the National policy for farmers.

7. Finishing Unfinished Tasks in Land Reforms (Mission-3):

Completing the unfinished agenda in land reforms should be the most important programme of the Government. This aspect has been dealt with very little seriousness and it only makes it clear that the NFC does not understand issues relating to land reforms. Declaring land reforms and reforms as regards other assets as a mission is merely populism.

8. Enhancing Livelihood Security (Mission-4):

The mission of enhancing the income, livelihood, nutrition and health security of farm, fisher, tribal, pastoral and agricultural labour families is the actual task before the government. The analysis of the policy statements reveals that the NFC and the government are pursuing such a mission only to secure the interests of the corporate sector and not that of the people.

9. Protecting Natural Resources (Mission-5):

Protecting and improving the land, water, biodiversity and climate resources is the most important basis for sustainable agriculture which is essential for livelihood security of nearly two-thirds of the population of India. The policies regarding irrigation, infrastructure creation, urbanisation, mining, trade and industries that has been adopted by the government after the era of liberalization, privatization and globalization has been responsible for snatching away and destroying the land, water and bio-diversity resources of the country and adversely impacting the climate like never before. Unless the entire economic development process presently pursued by the government is reversed there is no chance of protecting land, water and other resources required for sustainable agriculture and livelihood security. The government has no willingness to do this. Still such a mission has been declared to hoodwink the people at large.

10. Attract and Retain Youth in Agriculture (Mission-6): 

Introducing measures to attract and retain youth in farming is definitely very important but before commenting on this mission it would be worthwhile to know the views of Dr. Swaminathan, the chairman of NFC, on this aspect. The National Bio-technology Development Strategy prepared by the Ministry of Science and Technology on the basis of Dr. Swaminathan committee’s recommendations says, “Our human population is predominantly young.  Youth can be attracted and retained in farming only if farming becomes intellectually satisfying and economically rewarding.  This will call for a technological upgrading of our agriculture. Biotechnology is the means to convert bio-resources into economic wealth”. Thus massive application of Genetic engineering technology in seed development is the real mission, the interest of the youth is just a plea.

The first ‘green revolution’ technologies that promoted the use of so-called High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides were introduced in the name of food security. And now the second ‘green revolution’ technologies that seeks to promote genetically engineered seeds, costly micro-nutrients, heavy farm mechanisation, etc. are sought to be introduced (already introduced in many areas) in the name of intellectual satisfaction and economic reward for the youth. When it is a question of saving farmers from suicide traps the NFC is talking of economic rewards. It seems that for the chairman of the NFC it is intellectually satisfying to attempt to fool the people of the country.

11. Strengthening the Bio-Security of Crops (Mission-7):

The NFC wants the people of India to believe that the crops, fishes, forests of India are not secure and are going to face grave danger ahead. Some of this is actually happening. But here the effort has been made to make it a deliberate ploy to develop a huge science and technology infrastructure which will be used to scare the public and spread the clout of the agricultural science and technology establishment and get the desired financial support from the Government.

III.       Critique of the Policy Measures:

12. Mother of Policies for Corporatisation:

The NFC has formulated a number of policy measures for giving effect to the 7 mission statements of the National policy for farmers.  A careful reading of the policy statements formulated by the NFC makes it clear that the real purpose of the ‘Draft National Policy For Farmers’ is to corporatise Indian agriculture and develop a powerful agricultural bureaucracy in support of the same. Henceforth the farmers of India will be forced to abandon their villages, control over most of the agricultural land would shift to big, domestic and foreign, companies. In the USA only 2% of the population is engaged in Agriculture - who are actually employees of mega corporates like Cargill & Monsanto. In India the government plans to keep only 10% of the population engaged in Agriculture.

13. Farmers are to be Treated As Human Beings:

13.1     Putting Faces Before Figures:

The NFC Document says, “The government does not put faces before figures and that the problems of farmers as human beings and citizens are yet to receive the attention they need and deserve. Agricultural growth has decelerated during the last decade, which has led to the decline in real per capita incomes in rural India in comparison to the rapid growth in urban incomes. There is a need for shifting focus from measuring progress in millions of tonnes of food grains and other commodities to the farmers (men and women) feeding the nation”. This is an admission of the fact that the farmers have not been treated as humans and citizens all these years. By saying that ‘there is a need to place faces before the figures’ the NFC has actually admitted that the government has been actually placing figures before the faces while framing agricultural policies over the last 60 years. Who all are responsible for not considering problems of farmers as human beings and citizens? What action should be taken against those responsible? There is no reason why we should think that the government would behave differently in the future.

13.2     Farmers’ Suicides- A Crisis To Be Used:

The NFC says ending Farmers’ Suicides is the first and foremost task of the Government (The revised draft has excluded this mission). This statement seems to suggest that the government would henceforth focus its attention on farmers’ suicides and take steps to bring an end to suicides. The NFC document says, “Farmers’ suicides are not only persisting but are tending to increase, particularly in the Vidharbha region of Maharastra. The suicides are driven by several factors that include debt from private moneylenders at high interest rates, soaring input costs, low output prices, need for funds for non-farm expenditure (particularly for health care) and complete loss of hope. The economic, ecological, technological and social problems facing small farmers are yet to receive the integrated attention they need”. The continuous inaction in this regard at least for over last 10 years speaks volumes about the fact that farmers and the rural folk of the country have no say in the government and the government simply does not bother about issues concerning the farmers. The percentage of middle farmers committing suicide has been more than marginal farmers. This is because of the serious problems in production, which the NFC does not list as a reason behind suicides. There is nothing to be surprised about this. The chairman of the NFC has been a key player in establishing the present agriculture production system of India. Obviously he does not have the courage to openly accept the failure of the model of agricultural production being implemented since 1965. 

Blaming the government for lack of integrated attention is a convenient way to say that attention was given on different aspects, but not in an integrated manner. This is not correct. Instead the government and the corporate sector are seen to be converting this agrarian crisis of the country into an opportunity. During the last 10 years when Indian agriculture has seen unprecedented crisis the government and the corporate sector has been busy in pushing several policies, which together constitutes the so-called second green revolution. The agriculture input industry has seen substantial growth.

The NFC suggests the formation of hope generation teams by the Agriculture Universities and placing such teams in the Farmers’ Suicide Hot Spots aimed at spreading the message of confidence. The agriculture universities of the country have been promoting the so-called green revolution technologies that have led to this situation of despair for the farmers. How students from these same universities can spread confidence amongst farmers? Actually the purpose is to generate hope for new technologies and collect vital information to promote costly technologies being promoted by the corporate sector. It is a case of agriculture universities of the country at the service of imperialism.

The government has declared hefty packages (Vidharbha package of Rs.3750 Crores and the Rs. 16,000 crore package for 4 states of A.P., Karnataka, Kerala and Maharastra)) and is busy in converting such a crisis into an opportunity by fastening so-called reforms in agriculture aimed at benefiting the corporate sector. The government had done the same thing when it started reforms in the financial and industrial sector. The government converted the crisis of 1990 into an opportunity and unleashed economic reforms from 1991 that has changed the face of Indian economy and has united all ruling parties behind such a cause. For the government any crisis faced by the people of the country is welcome.

13.3     Low Social Prestige for Farmers!

The NFC Document says, “The social prestige accorded to farmers is very low”. This is one statement that summarises the entire approach of the government towards farmers. It has taken 60 years for an advisor of the Indian rulers to realise that farmers are accorded a low social status. However, in the prevalent structure of governance farmers cannot get better social status. In fact their status is expected to become further worse with the corporate takeover of agriculture. Left to the Government and the corporate sector they would prefer to convert all farmers into slaves.

13.4     Livelihoods of Pastoralists Threatened!

The NFC document says, “The progressive loss of livestock breeds and species, progressive loss of grazing land for their animals, limitations to their mobility, inadequate or inappropriate government policies, and lack of animal health care and other services threaten the livelihoods of pastoralists and small farmers”. When it is a fact that the government does not consider the interests of farmers while making agricultural policies, as has been revealed by the NFC, it is hard to expect that the interests of pastoralists would be protected. 

13.5     Orphan Crops and Orphan People:

The NFC document says, “Policies are required to make farming by small and marginal farmers economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Well-defined guidelines are needed for assisting such families with assured and remunerative marketing opportunities, particularly in the case of perishable commodities and ‘orphan crops’ like millets, tubers, pulses and oilseeds”. The question that arises in this regard is who killed the parents or protectors of millets, tubers, pulses and oilseeds, so that they became orphans according to the NFC? The reality is that the rulers of India have no interest in systems of production that will ensure food security for the small and marginal farmers. 

13.6     40% of Farmers Want To Quit Farming- A Propaganda:

The NFC Document says, “For 65% of the population of India farming is the principal livelihood and they are increasingly becoming indebted. The recent NSSO (a government agency) survey shows that nearly 40% of the farmers would like to quit farming if they have the option of doing so. Unfortunately there is little option for them except moving into urban slums”. This indicates a total failure of the model of development of agriculture adoped by the ruling classes. But the propaganda that 40% of the farmers would like to quit farming given a proper option is motivated by corporate interests in agricultural lands of India.

In Orissa in the Ganjam district, which is one of the areas facing continuing agricultural crisis for the last 30 years, we are actually seeing that more than 5 lakh farmers and agricultural labourers have left their villages and are one of the biggest source of cheap labour for the textile mills of Surat in Gujarat. These people are forced to work for 12 hours a day in the textile mills at a contractual remuneration of around 50-80 rupees a day, with no job cards - even though some of them have been working continuously for 20 years, with no citizenry rights (no ration cards, no voting rights, etc.) and are forced to live in huts (10 people in a hut size of 40 square feet) built inside and along the dirty nalas and spend their nights alongside roaming pigs. The government is neither coming forward to address the agrarian crisis so that the small and marginal farmers would not have to leave their villages in search of urban slums nor the government is seen to be addressing the problems of unorganised labourers in big industrial cities such as Surat. In reality the crisis of agriculture is a boon for the industry and that is what the industrialists desire and conspire for.

13.7     Damn Sustainable Agriculture:

The NFC says ‘there is little or no evidence that policies are shaped by the reality that ours is a nation of subsistence farmers’. Thus while it is just a case of survival for the majority of farmers of the country the government has been ignoring this reality and instead making mega plans for treating agriculture as an industry and the government’s biotechnology development strategy plans to ensure economic rewards for the young farmers. Sustainability of farming systems is the key for strengthening subsistence farming.

13.8     Income and Not production To Be Considered As Progress:

The NFC has recommended that henceforth, agricultural progress should be measured by the growth in the net income of farm families, which should be measured and published by the Economics and Statistics Directorate of the Union Ministry of Agriculture. This policy statement creates an impression that all policies henceforth shall be tuned towards increasing the net income of the farmers and that policy objectives will not be restricted to production growth alone. But this policy if at all is implemented will be short term in nature and will become the basis of end of peasant agriculture in India as the government and the corporate sector shall begin to propagate that small holding farming is not economic (which they have actually started saying), small farmers can not have economics of scale, etc. Strategy to reduce population dependent upon agriculture would help in achieving higher net incomes for the remaining farmers.

14. Initiatives by GOI Will Find Permanent Solutions:

The NFC document says, “While the farmers of the country are facing several problems, fortunately several significant initiatives have also been taken during the last 2 years to reverse the downward trend in agricultural production and to find permanent solutions to the agrarian crisis”. The NFC lists down the following initiatives and terms them as important for the farmers:

i.          Bharat Nirman or a New Deal for Rural India

ii.          National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP)

iii.         National Horticulture Mission (NHM)

iv.            Expansion of agriculture credit and lowering of interest rates.

v.         National Rainfed Area Authority

vi.         National Fisheries Development Board

vii.        Changes in the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act to make them farmer friendly.

viii.       Integrated Food Law

ix.         Warehouse Receipt Act, making warehouse receipts a negotiable instrument, thereby helping to prevent distress sales.

x.         Knowledge connectivity through the e-governance and making every village a knowledge centre.

If the GOI has already operationalised 10 mega schemes which have the potential to reverse the downward trend in agricultural production and to find permanent solutions to the agrarian crisis, then there is no role for the National Policy for Farmers. Actually the poor including the small and marginal farmers may temporarily benefit a bit from these schemes, but there is nothing in these schemes, which is expected to address the serious agrarian crisis of the country. It is proof enough that even with these schemes farmers’ suicides are continuing, farmers are migrating to far off places to work as cheap labour. In Adivasis areas and also other areas people are dying out of hunger and in some locations farmers resort to the extreme step of selling their children.

15. Asset Base of Farmers to be Addressed:

15.1     Access To Productive Assets Like Land:

The NFC says that the purpose of asset reforms is to ensure that every man and woman in villages either possesses or has access to a productive asset like land, livestock, fishpond, homestead farm or income through an enterprise, or a market driven skill so that household nutrition is safeguarded and children are able to go to school. Actually the people associated with NFC do not understand the issues regarding land reforms. In the early fifties even after a land ceiling of 20 hectares all landless and small and marginal farmers were to get at least 5 acres of land as per the calculations made then. The NFC document goes on to suggest that, wherever feasible, landless labour is to be given at least 10 cents per household for developing kitchen garden and animal rearing. Thus the purpose behind this policy statement is to do away with land reforms. In place of agricultural land is placed kitchen garden. All the talk of economic non-viability of small scale agriculture should be understood in terms of ruling class drive to stall and reverse land reforms. So now the poor and landless should abandon all hope of getting agricultural land from the Govt.

15.2     Co-operative Farming:

The NFC has recommended that in order to ensure power of scale to small farmers, co-operative farming, group farming by SHGs and small holders’ estates for cash crops have to be promoted. Co-operative farming is an impractical idea at the current state of the society. The other two suggestions are not in the interest of the small farmers.

15.3     Permanent Grazing Cards:

The NFC has recommended that entitlements to grazing lands for the pastoralists should be formalised in the form of permanent grazing cards. The poor pastoralists will not be able to exercise their grazing rights unless there is a total change in approach of the government towards sustainable animal husbandry. Further without recovering the grazing lands which are under the occupation of the landlords and influential people the grazing cards will have no meaning for the pastoralists.

15.4     Distortions In Land, Water And Fertiliser Use:

The NFC document says that public policies in the area of subsidies have led to distortions in land use and fertiliser consumption and have promoted unsustainable exploitation of groundwater and the intensive wheat-rice rotation in Punjab-Haryana region has led to depletion of groundwater and to soil salinisation in some areas. The document goes on to add that there is a need for balanced use of fertilisers and a proper pricing policy should be formulated for this. Instead of analysing the failure and going to roots of the problem (which is the western model of agriculture technology) it is once again recommending pricing policies to address the problem. 

15.5     Farm Lands Used For Non-Farm Purposes:

The NFC document recommends stringent restrictions on diversion of prime agricultural land for non-farm purposes. This is an admission of the fact that the trend of diversion of farmlands is on the rise. Recently in one go the Government allowed the diversion of 75,000 acres of land for establishment of 150 special economic zones (SEZs). Some 200 more have been approved. Many infrastructure projects, mega industries, shopping malls, multiplexes and rapidly growing urbanisation are eating away lakhs of acres of agricultural land. At the present rate the country may loose 10% of its arable land in the next 5 years. And this rate may even become faster subsequently.

15.6     Coral Reefs to be Revived:

The NFC document recommends for establishment of artificial coral reefs to revive fish catch. This is an admission of the fact that natural coral reefs have been destroyed.

15.7     Aquarian Reform:

The NFC says that a well-planned aquarian reform should address the issues of conflicts between mechanised and artesenal fishing enterprises, conflicts between aquaculturists and agriculturists as well as local population because of salt water entering into aquifer and pollution caused by intensive systems of aquaculture, etc. What is clear is that the Aquarian reform that is recommended by the NFC suggests for a compromise between commercial interests in fishing (both inland and sea & prawn culture) and the livelihood interests. It is clear that the NFC is building ground for furthering corporate interests in fishing.

15.8     Create Productive Assets Using The NREGP:

The NFC document says, “That 2.7 million applicants registered themselves for employment under this programme in 13 districts of A.P. and a million in 12 districts of Maharastra within a week of launching of the programme shows the extent of despair and deprivation in rural India. There is need to create productive assets using the NREGP”.  In this regard does the NFC know which assets the govt. considers as productive? It would be instructive to refer to what the Govt. of India has prescribed for the poverty alleviation programme being implemented in the districts of undivided districts of Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi (KBK districts) in Orissa for the last 8 years. Roads, bridges, markets, storage godowns have been termed as rural productive infrastructure. Under the Food For Work (FFW) Programme and the NREGP, in most cases, the expenditure is made on these infrastructures and the rest like watershed projects, minor irrigation projects, soil, water and forest conservation works are generally not taken up.  The NFC has deliberately not stated the assets it considers productive.

15.9     Marketisation of Water:

The NFC recommends for reconciling the different viewpoints raised in connection to big projects by dialogue and consensus building and by Prior Informed Consent of Affected Community and go ahead in bringing an additional 10 million hectares of land under irrigation. Thus the NFC has indirectly endorsed the the government policy of building massive physical structures to harness water. Such an approach has helped the corporate sector. With the World Bank sponsored water marketisation drive of the country, which is already under way, such policy measures by the NFC will ensure that giant sized corporates like Vivendi and Suez of France, Bi-water of England, Beetchel of USA, India’s TATAs shall soon control all the water resources of the country. And all such projects will lead to grabbing of large tracts of agricultural land by massive displacement of the farming families.

Pani Panchayats: The NFC recommends Pani Panchayats in every village to help in getting available water distributed on an equitable basis. All those who understand the government policies as regards water have opposed the formation of Pani Panchayats as they are considered as a prelude to marketisation of water. Orissa where a separate Pani Panchayat Law was promulgated in 2002, is now witness to destruction of the public lift irrigation structure built over 30 years. Same is happening as regards the canal irrigation as well. 

Promote Efficient Methods of Water Use: The NFC recommends that the National Rainfed Area Authority should introduce efficient methods of water use like drip irrigation.  This is in the interest of the corporate sector dealing with irrigation equipment and technology and has nothing to do with the majority of the water-starved farmers in the rainfed areas.

Water As Private Property: On water the NFC goes on to add that water is a public good, a social resource and not a private property and says privatisation of water shall lead to water wars. But the govt. is actually propagating the reverse. According to the govt. water is an economic good and whoever gives higher value will have right over water.

Allocation Of Water Bodies For Landless and Dalits: The NFC has recommended allocation of ponds and reservoirs for the landless labourers and Dalits. In reality the land over which many of these water bodies stand have been allotted to the landless poor families. Such lands should be made available to the landless poor directly for cultivation purpose. The big farmers and the contractors shall continue to enjoy the benefits of fish farming in these ponds and water bodies in the name of fish farming in the lands of Dalits.

16. Knowledge and Technology:

16.1     Farmers Only As Cultivators:

The NFC while quoting the Plant Variety Protection and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001 states that farmers have multiple roles as cultivators, conservers and breeders. Unfortunately this is a very late admission. All these years the government thought that farmers are simply to cultivate and the agricultural scientific and technology establishment shall perform the rest of the two activities. 

16.2     Integrated Farming System Destroyed:

The NFC document says that the crop-livestock integrated farming system is the pathway for farmers’ well being since this will help to improve both income and household nutritional security. The NFC further says that suicides by farmers are rare in areas where there are multiple livelihood opportunities. Even now the government is pursuing intensive rearing of farm animals and commercial cultivation as independent activities. 

16.3     Sustainable Fish Farming Destroyed:

The NFC document says that an area requiring attention is the standardisation of Low External Input Sustainable Aquaculture (LEISA) Technique, which will be environment friendly. This is an indirect admission of the fact that the fishery technology being promoted by the government has been responsible for polluting the environment and making the farmers dependent upon high cost external inputs and this intensive fish farming is destroying sustainable fish farming.

16.4     Natural Bio-Shields Destroyed:

As regards island farmers and coastal farmers the NFC recommends erection of bio-shields such as mangroves, casuarinas, etc.  This is sharply against the coastal highway, a proposal of the government to protect from high tides, cyclonic storms, etc.  In reality the government has been instrumental in destruction of the natural bio-shields such as mangroves that existed on the coast of Orissa and other states and is building a coastal highway on the east coast of India (in West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) around which a coastal industrial corridor is under erection.

16.5     Production By Masses Discouraged:

The NFC says that there is need to emphasize that there is no level playing field between the capital, subsidy & technology driven mass production agriculture of industrialised countries and the production by the masses’ agriculture of India characterised by weak support services, heavy debt and resource & technology poverty.  This is an admission of the fact that the WTO and foreign trade has no meaning for Indian agriculture because it is impossible to compete against countries which are paying their farmers heavy subsidies and who are able to mobilise huge capital in agriculture.

16.6     Dying Crops and Dying Wisdom:

The NFC document says, “There is a need to give top priority to the nutrition, health care and education needs of the poor and particularly of agricultural labour, tribal women and men and fisher families. Nearly 75% of children in our country are under-weight due to inadequate nutrition, India has the largest under-weight and low birth weight children and their prevalence is almost double that of Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 75% of the pre-school children have sub-clinical vitamin-A deficiency. The revitalisation of nutrition-centred farming systems is an urgent task. Both dying crops and dying wisdom should be saved and harnessed for local level community managed food security systems”. This statement by the NFC is testimony of the poverty of wisdom in the agriculture science and technology establishment of India over the last 60 years. It is an admission of the fact that the implementation of the so-called first green revolution technologies has led to a nutritional crisis in the country.

A Professor of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar after conducting an elaborate study on the state of affairs of Agriculture during the 90s(1990-91 to 2000-01) in Orissa reveals that in Orissa during the last 10 years despite expansion in the area under irrigation by 21%, increase in fertilizer application by 89% and increase in area under HYV paddy by 23% the productivity of rice has decreased by 6.99 % and that of all food crops by 5.77%. According to the study during the decade of 90s paddy production has a negative growth rate of 1.94%. The study has painted a grim picture of state of affairs in agriculture. Such a situation prevails across the country. While there is talk of saving of dying wisdom farmers of India are once again made to accept new technologies in the name of so-called second green revolution. The Government does not want to save traditional wisdom.

Government Has Killed Millets, Tubers and Pulses: The NFC Document says that policies are required to make farming by small and marginal farmers economically viable and environmentally sustainable and well-defined guidelines are needed for assisting such families with assured and remunerative marketing opportunities, particularly in the case of perishable commodities and ‘orphan crops’ like millets, tubers, pulses and oilseeds. This is an admission of the fact that crops like millets, tubers, pulses and oilseeds, which are generally grown by small and marginal farmers to ensure their food security, have been continuously neglected.

16.7     Pro-poor Orientation to Technology!

The NFC document says, “There is a need for a pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature orientation to technology development and dissemination. There is need for considerable stepping up of investment in public good research for technology development. There is no option except to produce more food and other commodities under conditions of diminishing per capita arable land and irrigation water resources. Need for harnessing best of frontier technologies and integrate them with traditional wisdom and thereby launch an eco-technology movement”. For 60 years an anti-poor, anti-nature technology was forced on the farmers by the Govt. aided by scientists such as Dr. Swaminathan. In fact this is a ploy to once again force a costly and unsuitable technology on the people and snatch away their livelihood. Thus a question emerges whether the government is for public good and the private corporates are for public loot? The NFC has very cleverly pushed us to a situation by which the policy makers would have to accept growing scarcity of water in all their policy formulations. Is it wise to accept man-made water scarcity and not seek ways to manage water resources in a manner that satisfies all genuine requirements?

The talk of harnessing frontier technologies and integrating with traditional wisdom refers to the clever strategy of the corporate sector to use traditional wisdom to develop costly technology that will snatch away the livelihood of the rural population.

Simple and Low-Cost Technologies Ignored: As regards water the NFC talks of mandatory rain harvesting and aquifers recharging. The NFC further says that all wells and ponds to be renovated and there should be sustainable use of groundwater. The question that arises is that why such simple technologies, which in real sense have answers to the country’s problem of drought and floods, have not been practised on a big scale. This is an indirect admission of the fact that the government has ignored simple and low cost technologies available for solving different recurrent problems faced by the people such as the water crisis.

Technology To Add Value To Time And Labour Of The Poor!: The NFC document says, “Research should be tailored to the need for developing technologies, which can help to add economic value to the time and labour of the poor, particularly women”. The steps required to adding economic value comes after ensuring sustainability of agriculture. Promoting value-adding technology will be a waste of effort and money when agricultural production is itself unstable.

16.8     Scientists Had Sidelined Organic Farming:

The important admission by the NFC is that organic farming requires greater scientific inputs than chemical farming demanding high level of multi-disciplinary action. The NFC says the challenge to organic farmers lies in raising the organic carbon content in the soil to 1% and total organic matter to about 10%. The approximate cost of converting one hectare of wasteland to organic farming will be about Rs. 30,000 per annum for about three years. The organic farming in India suffers from lack of institutional support in the areas of research, extension and marketing. Application of science and technology to organic farming would be a welcome development. But the purpose for which the NFC is advocating research support for organic farming is for corporatisation of organic farming.  The corporate sector sees organic farming as yet another opportunity to be able to reap huge benefits in the export market. Research on organic farming has to remain under the control of the farmers and not in the hands of scientists like Dr. Swaminathan.

16.9     Village Knowledge Centres:

The NFC says that village knowledge centres (VKCs) should be set-up to spread the right information at the right time and to right people. According to the NFC, information in the areas of credit, insurance and trade literacy shall help in ending farmers’ suicides. The NFC goes on to say that computer-aided and internet connected VKCs assume great importance in the movement for technological upgradation of both farm operations and farming efficiency. These VKCs if established shall work as conduits for the corporate sector. The recent announcement of the Mahindra Group to set-up agricultural call centres is a step in this direction.

Farm Science Managers!: The NFC has recommended that in order to spread scientific literacy and to remove inadequately informed apprehensions about the risks and benefits associated with biotechnology and other new technologies, at least one woman and one male member of every Panchayat should be trained as Farm Science Managers. This is a plan by Dr. Swaminathan that one woman and one man to be located in every Panchayat of the country as agents of the so-called life science corporates like Monsanto.

Advisories For Farmers: The NFC recommends that Panchayat level Farm Science Managers trained to give appropriate land use suggestions can use the Agro-meteorological Advisories issued by the Indian Agro-met Advisory Service Centre, Pune. The NFC goes on to recommend setting up of the National Agro-Ecological Land Use Advisory Service which will make the information relevant to both farm and fisher families. So far there is no information about the effectiveness of such advisories. However, they can be very well used by the corporate sector to spread the cropping pattern they desire.

Climate Managers!: The NFC suggests that in drought and flood prone areas, experienced farmwomen and men can be trained as ‘Climate Managers’. Such a suggestion is proof of an extremely casual approach towards such an important problem like climate change. The problem of climate change is of global dimension that requires comprehensive policies for controlling the growth in automobiles, industrial pollution, pollution from thermal power plants, refrigerators, Air Coolers, etc.   What is the role of farm women and men in this? The NFC is only talking of minimising the vulnerability to such climate change and once again creating a market for the corporate sector by creating demand for some new technological products, promotion of plantation industry, etc.  

16.10   Uncommon Opportunities For Evergreen Revolution!

The NFC states that Frontier technologies like bio-technology, 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. There cannot be any thing sillier than this. Does the NFC want us to believe that it has grip over all aspects of the universe and the entire related science? How can some one who claims to be a scientist boast of finding solutions that will remain valid in perpetuity? It is also important to note that Dr. Swaminathan has tacitly admitted that the so-called green revolution is no more green and therefore there is a need for evergreen revolution. By such adulation of technology a few so-called scientists who work for MNCs are actually busy in bringing the entire agriculture sector in developing countries under corporate control.

17.0 Seeds and Inputs:

17.1     High Quality Inputs at Right Time:

According to the NFC high quality inputs at affordable prices at right time and place with credible extension advice is the other measure to end suicides. What the NFC actually wants is to substitute the existing input dealers with a well-developed fertiliser, pesticide, and seed distribution system with its own technology promotion wing. This policy statement will be used to make available so-called high-quality inputs (GM Seeds, micro-nutrients, micro-irrigation, large scale farm mechanisation, etc.) by the corporate sector and the government will give heavy subsidies for ensuring their use by the crisis stricken farmers. This will be similar to direct marketing by the corporates. Once such a system is established the agricultural input industry will have a vice like grip over the farmers of India.

17.2     Participatory Breeding Procedure:

The NFC recommends that there is need for assisting tribal and rural women in revitalising their insitu on-farm conservation traditions and says that Participatory breeding procedures, involving scientists and local conservers, would be particularly helpful in improving the productivity of landraces. This is yet another way to spread the grip of scientists working for the corporate sector.

17.3     Reward and Incentives to Conserve Breeds:

The NFC recommends that a system of reward and incentives must be developed to enable and motivate people to conserve their breeds (of farm animals) under the Biodiversity Act. Then why the Government promotes crossbreeding and exotic breeds on a massive scale and then suddenly remembers the need for conserving the indigenous breeds. It is for the government to stop promoting crossbreeding and exotic breeds and instead starts promoting the breeding and non-intensive rearing of indigenous breed of cattle, goats, sheep, chicken and other farm animals so as to supplement the agricultural incomes. This will automatically result in conservation of indigenous breeds of these farm animals.

17.4     Promote Genetic Engineering:

The NFC recommends that genetic engineers, working in public good institutions should perform the role of pre-breeding, i.e. development of novel genetic combinations for important economic traits. First of all this is a proposal for entrenching genetic engineering in the very few good research institutions that we may have in the country. Now by involving the farmers the NFC wants to make the technology acceptable. This will help the corporate sector to make money in the short-run but will ultimately be dangerous for the agriculture of the country.

17.5     Develop Varieties of Bt Cotton:

The NFC recommends that in the case of Bt Cotton the public good institutions should concentrate on developing varieties rather than hybrids, so that farmers can keep their own seeds. The NFC further recommends that women SHGs on contract with seed companies, on the basis of mutually beneficial farmer-seed company partnership, can be entrusted the job of producing hybrid seeds. The NFC goes on to suggest that there should be insurance provided by Seed companies in the case of GM crops, so that farmers who pay high prices for the seeds of such crops do not suffer in case of crop failure. By these recommendations the NFC first accepts the predominant role of the corporate seed giants in the country as has been planned under the Seed Bill 2004. Thus the agenda of MNCs like Monsanto and Synzenta is being furthered through the National Policy For Farmers and a system is being created for their growth. By giving this kind of recommendation the NFC has tried to legitimise such a system and also legitimise Bt Cotton varieties and through that genetic modification (GM). GM technology is a highly risky technology that is being opposed by top scientists of the world. The research work of many scientists indicates that the propagation of GM seeds has a lot of adverse health effects. Acting on a PIL, the Supreme Court on 22nd September 2006 has stayed any further approval for release of GM seeds by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Government of India.

18.0 Production Security:

18.1     Micronutrient Deficiencies:

As regards soil health the NFC recommends setting up of more laboratories for testing micronutrient deficiencies. However, this proposal has actually been proposed for bringing the next stage of chemical fertiliser use in the country, which is high priced micronutrients, as a part of the so-called second green revolution. It is to be noted that by continuous application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides (as a part of the so-called first green revolution) the level of micronutrients in soils of India has actually deteriorated. Now the same scientists are trying to tell the farmers of India as to how to meet micronutrient deficiency.

18.2     Crop Security Syndrome Begins:

The NFC states that quality seeds and disease free planting material are essential for crop production security. This indicates that the government of India through the work of Dr. Swaminathan and likes would henceforth carefully build in crop-security concerns in policy making in agriculture. The NFC recommends that there is a need to develop a National Agricultural Bio-Security System (NABS) to safeguard the income and livelihood security of farm and fisher families as well as food and trade security of the nation. By raising the need for bio-security the NFC wants us to believe that the crops, fishes, forests of India are not secure and are facing a big danger ahead. While some of this is a real danger this seems to be a deliberate ploy to develop a huge science and technology infrastructure engaged in scaring the public and spreading the clout of the agricultural science and technology administration. The development of a Bio-Security establishment armed with legal powers would be one of the best ways to promote the corporate control over agriculture in India as the corporate sector has come to control the entire agriculture in USA.

19.0 Consumption Issues:

19.1     Nutrition Was Never In The Plan: 

The NFC Document says that revitalisation of nutrition-centred farming systems is an urgent task and both dying crops and dying wisdom should be saved and harnessed for local level community managed food security systems. This is an admission of the fact that so far the government was concentrating on mono cropping of rice and wheat and neglected the nutrition-centred farming systems that was part of the country’s traditional wisdom.

20.0 Agriculture Marketing & Prices:

20.1     Crop Diversification With Effective Market Support:

The NFC recommends crop diversification from the point of view of ecology, economics and employment, but has cautioned that steps to ensure effective market support for the alternate crops must accompany any advice on crop diversification. But who would assure effective market support? This policy provision will be actually used by the corporate sector to promote demand driven crops. The example of substitution of paddy with ginger cultivation in western Orissa at the behest of the Department of Agriculture during 2005 is a case in point. While the farmers bought ginger-planting material at Rs. 40 per kg. and were expecting a minimum price of Rs. 20 per kg. for the produce, they actually got less than Rs. 5 per kg. Many farmers have not been able to repay their loans yet.

20.2     Price Stabilisation Fund:

The NFC has recommended that a Price Stabilisation Fund should be established and the government must intervene to prevent distress sale and to assure a remunerative price for the farm produce. By creation of a price stabilisation fund when the corporate sector has already begun to have a large share of the food market the purpose is to strengthen the corporate operations in food grains and other agriculture produce that have already started over the last 3-4 years. The NFC says that for farmers the core issue is assured price for farm produce and therefore the government should set-up a price stabilisation fund. Whenever such a fund will be set-up the first beneficiaries will be the giant corporates like Cargill of USA and ITC.

20.3     MSP For All Crops And Across the Country:

The NFC recommends that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme should cover all crops of importance to food and livelihood security of small farmers and has to be protected across the country. For 40 years this has not happened when the public sector was at the helm. In the days of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation when corporatisation of agriculture is beginning to bloom and MNCs like Cargill have started large scale grain procurement, supporting the farmers by way of MSP is no more expected from the Government. In fact the Abhijit Sen committee set-up by the GOI has already indirectly recommended closing down of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the main agency implementing government’s MSP policy.

20.4     Market Intervention Schemes For Exigencies:

The NFC has recommended Market Intervention Schemes to respond speedily to exigencies especially in the case of sensitive crops in the rainfed areas. The experience of our country is that the most successful Market Intervention Operation (MIO) ever implemented in the country was stopped at a time when it was bringing good results for both the farmers & consumers and was considered good from the point of view of foreign exchange reserves. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) implemented the MIO policy in the edible oil sub-sector during the period 1998 to 2003. But the MIO was stopped immediately after the promulgation of the LPG policy as the MIO adversely affected the corporate interests.

20.5     Indian Trade Organisation:

The NFC has recommended that the Indian Trade Organisation (ITO) should come into existence soon as a watchdog body to safeguard farmers’ interests and the ITO could be supported by a Trade Advisory Body for small farmers. The NFC says the objective would be to allow farmers to engage with decision makers in the formulation of appropriate policy responses to developments in agricultural markets. Formation of ITO after 11 years of WTO! This will only help the furthering of WTO in the name of farmers in the same way as the GOI has been furthering the cause of MNCs of developed countries in the name of grabbing opportunities in world trade. The ITO whenever it is formed will be controlled by the mega corporates engaged in agriculture in India in the same way as the WTO, the World Bank, the UNO is controlled by the giant MNCs of the world.

21.0 Agricultural Subsidy, Finance & Credit:

21.1     Support Systems For Farmers:

The NFC document says, “The support systems needed by farmers, like research, extension, input supply, marketing and credit need review and reform. Small farmers are forced to borrow from moneylenders at high interest rates. Only 27% of the all cultivator households receive institutional credit”. In reality these so-called support systems were established for serving the interests of the big farmers, the fertiliser and pesticide companies and were put in place with a long-term objective of creating a favourable environment for corporate interests, which is beginning to fructify now. The reformed support system will further corporate interests and not that of the peasant.

21.2     Additional Investments In Agriculture:

The NFC Document says, “The drop in the government and private investments in the agriculture sector has significantly slowed down the rural economy. Public policies in the area of subsidies have led to distortions in land use and fertiliser consumption and have promoted unsustainable exploitation of groundwater. The intensive wheat-rice rotation in Punjab-Haryana region has led to depletion of groundwater and to soil salinisation in some areas. Farm families are crying for additional investments in agricultural infrastructure and farm innovation.” It is the ruling class politicians and the scientists who work for the corporates who are crying for massive investments so as to further the corporate interests in agriculture. The real problem lies elsewhere. Small investments are required to ensure sustainable agriculture and food security. The quality of investments are important and not only the amount of investment. The govt. is making plans to reduce the little support the farmers are getting in the form of subsidies.

21.3     Private Moneylending and Complete Loss of Hope:

The NFC says that farmers’ suicides are driven by several factors that include debt from private money lenders at high interest rates, soaring input costs, low output prices, need for funds for non-farm expenditure (particularly for health care) and complete loss of hope. This indicates the rot in the agriculture sector of the country and low level reached by Indian agriculture due to the Govt. policies.

21.4     Subsistence Allowance For Fisher Families:

The NFC has recommended a subsistence allowance of Rs.1500 per month during the off-seasons for fisher families. Further by giving just an allowance of Rs.1500 per month the government would take over their habitat so as to pave the way for big projects. This is exactly what has happened in the Gangavaram Port project in Andhra Pradesh and the fishermen who have lost their livelihood have been promised Rs. 3000 per month till they are able to carry on fishing in another location. Such a thing must be happening in other locations where port projects are being taken up. 

21.5     4-5 year Credit Cycle For Drought Prone Areas:

The NFC has recommended that the credit cycle for drought prone areas be fixed for 4 to 5 years and depending upon whichever year within this period the crop is good the farmers may be allowed to repay. However while the credit need shall be for all the 4 or 5 years of the cycle how the money for all the 4 or 5 years can be repaid by a single year of good crop? In fact this will further increase indebtedness. The actual solution is in reviving production in these drought prone areas by massive rainwater harvesting and other simple and time-tested technologies.

21.6     Agriculture Risk Fund To Insulate Farmers:

The NFC has recommended user-friendly insurance instruments for production of all crops to cover all risks from sowing to post-harvest and market. The NFC has recommended the setting up of an Agriculture Risk Fund to insulate farmers from risks due to recurring droughts and other weather aberrations. The implementation of such a policy shall yield very little actual benefit for the farmers. Most of the benefit of such a fund may go to the banks and insurance companies. It is learnt from ‘The Economic Times’, Kolkata 20 September 2006 that the draft approach paper for the 11th Plan presented by the Department of Agriculture to the Plan panel has suggested the setting up of National Level Agricultural Stabilisation Fund to institutionalise risk intervention with the aim of writing off loans in case of crop failure and other natural calamities. This proves that the real beneficiaries of such a fund are the banks and insurance agencies and not the farmers.  

22.0 Special Categories of Farmers:

22.1     Seawater Farming:

The NFC recommends seawater farming for the coastal area prosperity. In reality this will actually lead to the displacement of coastal people (fisher families, farmers and others) giving way for corporate seawater farming. 

22.2     Women Farmers:

The NFC recommends that women farmers and farm labourers be actively involved in the 60,000 demonstrations of lab to land post-harvest technology and agro-processing. Since most of these demonstrations shall be in the interest of the corporate sector the benefits if any shall be marginal for the women farmers and farm labourers.

Capacity Building of Women SHGs: NFC has recommended that capacity building and mentoring of women SHGs should be done and they be given land in the Government Farms for seed production, animal genetic resources conservation, etc. and says that institutional credit for agriculture needs to be de-linked from land titles. The NGOs and the government with the purpose of formation of loose organisations of the rural poor directed at diverting the anger of these people regarding government policies and the prevailing economic crisis faced by these people are promoting SHGs.

22.3     Urban Farmers:

In the urban slums the NFC recommends that the National Horticulture Mission could pay attention to enhancing nutrition security through promoting the cultivation and consumption of appropriate vegetables. This is not expected to help the slum dwellers in urban areas because they hardly have any land for cultivating vegetables and are known to face acute water crisis even for drinking and household needs. While the Government policy some 30 years back was to allocate at least 25 square yards of land for each slum dwelling family now it is as little as 12 square yards. Is Dr. Swaminathan hinting at indoor farming by the slum dwellers?

23.0 Special Government Initiatives:

23.1     National Fisheries Development Board:

The NFC has welcomed the formation of National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) on the lines of NDDB and has recommended ecology, economics, gender equity and employment generation as the guiding principles. It also recommends training and capacity building in all aspects of capture/culture-consumption chain. Another area requiring attention is the standardisation of low external inputs sustainable aquaculture (LEISA) techniques. The policy statements suggest that intensive fish farming will be the approach while LEISA will just be for experimentation and for showcasing. Intensive fish farming helps the fish seed feed and input industry and shall lead to ruin of the fish farmers and ultimately lead to corporate control of aquarian resources.  

23.2     Livestock Fodder and Feed Corporation:

The NFC recommends the establishment of a ‘Livestock Fodder and Feed Corporation (LFFC)’ to assist SHGs to produce fodder and feeds. NFC is obsessed with SHGs, a clear indication of NGOisation of policy making. As is already known the NGOs are pushing several of the imperialist policies and objectives in the name of assisting the poor and marginalised sections of the population. The LFFC shall be yet another Government corporation that will be used to further the corporate interests in dairying in particular and animal husbandry in general.  What the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the milk co-operatives have achieved for the country and for the diary farmers of India as regards fodder and feed runs the risk of being wiped out because of the proposed LFFC.

23.3     Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policies:

The NFC recommends for a New Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy to pay concurrent attention to 10 km on both sides of the shore and regulate effluent pollution, development of bio-shields (such as mangroves and casuarinas) bio-villages, village knowledge centres, etc. This policy statement obviously aims at regularising all the environmental damage that the commercial prawn culturists (the prawn Mafia as they are called in Orissa) and other polluting industries have been doing.

23.4     Management Policy For Exclusive Economic Zone:

The NFC has recommended for a Dynamic Policy for the Management of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 2 million square kilometre of sea surface area. Obviously such a policy will be in the interest of the corporate sector as it can then exploit the EEZ by indulging in deep-sea fishing and other related economic activities, such as storage of imported commodities under the sea as is the practice in Japan. Such a move will have serious implications for the climate and the environment of the country. 

23.5     Corporate Controlled Markets:

The NFC recommends that the Governments will have to undertake such reforms speedily in order to provide more options to the farmers for selling their produce, allowing private sector including the co-operatives to develop markets. In the name of power of scale to small farmers the NFC has recommended contract farming, corporate farming and company farming. The real purpose has surfaced. Contract farming is a slow way of reaching to corporate farming. In the name of developing markets the Orissa Government recently amended the Orissa Agricultural Produce Marketing Act, 1956 at the dictates of the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India and has legalised contract farming and allowed corporate sector to establish private market yards. Further the Govt. of Orissa and many other state governments have already started the process of enacting comprehensive legislations on marketing reforms on the basis of the Model Act drafted by the GOI.  Such market reforms at the dictate of the WTO and the World Bank will give immense power to the corporates and make the farmers almost powerless.

23.6     Agri-Export Zones:

The NFC has recommended that Agri - Export Zones (AEZs) be further strengthened and should become places where farmers will get best possible price for their produce. The NFC also recommends that the farmers associations and SHGs should be helped to export on competitive terms by spreading awareness of opportunities for external agricultural trade. The Government wants the farmers to believe that unless they are part of the export zones they cannot get a good price. This is clearly in the interest of the corporate sector that would undertake massive contract farming in such export zones. This is a clear policy of promoting export crops by the corporate sector as has been done by giant MNCs for the last 200 years in all Latin American countries (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, etc). It is interesting to note that a recent review of the existing 50 AEZs revealed that hardly any export has been done from the AEZs.

23.7     Assistance For Farmers’ Associations:

The NFC recommends that the central and state Governments should assist the growth of farmers’ associations, which can empower the voiceless. The real purpose of this policy seems to be establishment of fake farmers’ associations to be promoted by the NGOs and the government, which will be engaged by the government in future deliberations on farm policies and programmes.

23.8     Panchayats To Have Major Role In Agriculture:

The NFC has recommended that in addition to the responsibilities that the Constitution of India through Article 243 G of the 11th Schedule (73rd Amendment) entrusts to the Panchayats (Agriculture including agriculture extension), the Panchayats will have to attend to land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation and conservation; Minor irrigation, water management and watershed development; Animal Husbandry, dairying and poultry; Fisheries; Social forestry and farm forestry; Minor forest produce; Small scale industries including food processing industries. The Panchayats are mostly under the control of the landlords and contractors. The Panchayat system in India is actually working as decentralisation of the ruling class control over the people of India.

23.9     Integrated Rural Livelihoods Initiative: 

One of the very important recommendations of NFC is asking for the formulation of Rural Non-Farm Livelihood Initiative so as to address the poverty of landless labourers and other non-farm population. This is an important admission of the failure of the Government’s non-farm policy for the rural population of the country. All these years have been spent in destroying the cottage industries, the traditional occupations and now suddenly the NFC remembers the importance of non-farm activities because new products would be marketed in rural areas. The process has already started in the shape of SHGs taking dealership of cooking gas, toiletries of Hindustan Levers Ltd., etc. Such a policy is being promoted now because the government has no intention of going ahead with land reforms as promised after 1947.

24.0 What The Policy Lacks?

24.1     Hides More, Reveals Less:

The Draft National Policy For Farmers document prepared by the NFC is an incomplete document. It hides more than it reveals. We have tried to unfathom the hidden agenda. For all those who would like to have a fuller response to what the government and the NFC have planned for Indian agriculture through the proposed National Policy For Farmers the gaps in the draft policy document as listed in the following paragraphs would have to be filled.

24.2     No Clear Objectives:

The Draft National Policy For Farmers has not spelt out the objectives of the policy clearly. The current draft has mission statements but no clear objectives. As regards the main mission of enhancing the income, livelihood, nutrition and health security of farm, fisher, tribal, pastoral and agricultural labour families the objective of the policy has to constitute specific pronouncements for an average farming, fisher, tribal, pastoral and agricultural labour family such as:

i.          The target of net annual family income.

ii.          Estimate of the percentage of the said net income to the expenditure required for the family’s total livelihood security to be reached.

iii.         The level of nutritional and health security to be reached by an average family within a specified time period.

As regards the mission of ending the era of farmers’ suicides and to restore pride and confidence in India’s agricultural capability the objective of the policy has to be specific about the year by which farmers’ suicides would end.

As regards completing the unfinished agenda in land reforms the objective of the policy has to be specific about the time by which all distributable land shall be distributed to the landless and poor peasants, by what time the land under cultivation by the farmers for generations together would be formalised, by what time all the alienated land of the Adivasis shall be returned to them, etc. 

As regards protecting and improving the land, water, biodiversity and climate resources essential for sustained advances in the productivity, profitability and stability of major farming systems, and thereby the livelihood security of nearly two-thirds of the population the objective of the policy has to be specific about the year by which sustainability shall be reached, what would be the level of sustainable productivity and profitability in the case of important crops to be achieved by that time for the two-thirds of the population. 

As regards attracting and retaining the youth in farming the objective of the policy has to be specific about the percentage of the rural population to be retained in farming over the plan period (year-wise).

As regards strengthening the bio-security of crops, farm animals, fishes and forest trees for safeguarding both the work and income security of farm and fisher families, and the health and trade security of the nation the objective of the policy has to be at least specific about the year by which the factors responsible for affecting bio-security currently shall be fully tackled. 

One can see the Draft National Policy For Farmers document prepared by the NFC has not spelt out specific objectives even for the missions identified by it.

24.3     Analysis Is Absent:

In the Draft National Policy For Farmers prepared by the NFC there is no analysis of the current and past situation, policies and programmes.  Without a proper analysis it is not possible to identify the main problems and the important issues faced by the agriculture sector and the farmers. In the absence of analysis only personal experience and knowledge is utilised to identify problems and issues, which is not fair while undertaking such a major task of drafting the National Policy For Farmers. The policy document directly lists down problems and issues without any back-up analysis. It does not appear that the NFC has undertaken any detailed analysis. Some of the important aspects that require analysis are as follows:

i.          An analysis of the actual situation of the farmers of India as regards landholding, status of soil health, water available for crop production, seed status, cropping practices being adopted, actual crop production, post-harvest, food consumption, marketing, credit, etc and what was the situation in these regards over the last 60 years.  

ii.          An analysis of the current natural resource base of the villages of India with regard to agriculture and crop production and the situation over the last 60 years.

iii.         An analysis of the agricultural extension mechanism, irrigation system, input distribution system, credit delivery system, the marketing system and the overall agriculture administration system prevalent in the villages of India and that over the last 60 years.

iv.         An analysis of demand for and consumption of food and other agricultural commodities for the last 60 years.

v.         An analysis of the agriculture research work being presently pursued and that during the last 60 years.

vi.         An analysis of the existing agricultural marketing system during the last 60 years.

vii.        An analysis of the agricultural credit system as regards the requirement and supply during the last 60 years.

viii.       An analysis of the existing agricultural policies and that during the last 60 years.

When objectives have not been spelt out clearly and exhaustive analysis not done one cannot expect the NFC to devise proper strategies for agriculture sector. In fact strategies are required to achieve the objectives and if objectives are actually not spelt out clearly, the process of devising strategies looses meaning. Well-devised strategies reveal the tasks to be performed to achieve the objectives.

24.4     Collation of Ideas and Thoughts:

After having commented extensively on the Draft National Policy For Farmers prepared by the NFC it would be only proper to end by characterising the policy document. The policy document is actually a collation of ideas and thoughts. Some populist measures as thought by the NFC and established ideas on corporatisation of agriculture have been clubbed together to formulate a so-called policy document. The NFC is perhaps more interested to create confusion regarding the key to growth in productivity. While at one place the document says ‘Human resource development holds the key to breaking the stagnation in agricultural growth and productivity’ in another place it says ‘Assured and remunerative marketing opportunities hold the key to continued progress in enhancing farm productivity and profitability’. Yet in another place the document recommends ‘harnessing frontier technology and integrating with traditional wisdom for increase in productivity into perpetuity’.

25.0     These Policies Will Destroy Indian Agriculture:

The country is passing through a time when across the country land reforms have been stalled and land grabbing by the corporate sector for mining, industries, special economic zones, real estate development, urbanisation, infrastructure projects, ports, etc. are going on in a massive scale whereby lakhs of acres of agricultural land is getting converted for non-farm purposes and lakhs of people are loosing their livelihoods and homes. To add to that Agri - Export Zones are being established for corporatisation of agriculture and land grabbing. Financial packages in the name of bailing out farmers are being given for strengthening of the co-operative and commercial banking sector, which instead of meeting the credit needs of small and marginal farmers has been supporting big farmers and moneylenders. Micro-credit is being pushed vigorously through SHGs and NGOs with a purpose of creating market for consumer goods and increasing the debt burden of the rural poor.  In the midst of all these developments the government has brought out many policies, enacted and amended many laws and begun many programmes all directed towards corporatisation of agriculture and deprivation of the Indian farmers. A list of some of the important policies, laws and programmes launched in the country as regards agriculture is placed below:

i.          The Indian government signed the World Trade Organisation treaty in 1995 and the Agreement on Agriculture thereafter. Its implications are well known.

ii.          The National Agriculture Policy was framed in 2001 with the main thrust to promote contract farming and treating agriculture as an industry.

iii.         National Water Policy 2002 paved the way for marketisation of water that is now common knowledge.

iv.         The Abhijit Sen Committee for formulating a Long-term Grain Policy for the country gave its report in middle of 2003 recommending closure of the FCI operations and removing all barriers to private trade, economic as well as legal.

v.         The Government of India had sent in 2003 a Model Act to amend the State Agricultural Produce Marketing Acts according to which many states have amended their respective Laws and legalised contract farming and setting up of private agricultural market yards.

vi.         National Bio-Technology Development Strategy Modelled on Swaminathan Committee & Mashelkar Committee Recommendations was declared in 2005 with the purpose of using Science for Profits and not for the people, To force upon the people hazardous and unreliable Genetic Engineering Technology, Genetic Engineering Approval Committee to be closed down, Government to promote corporate control of seeds and medicines, etc.

vii.        Indo-USA Agreement on Agricultural Research signed at Hyderabad during the recent visit of Bush with the purpose of pushing the so-called second green revolution technologies.

viii.       A Comprehensive “Food Safety and Standards Bill, 2005” was passed by the parliament recently. With this nine existing regulations were repealed and modifications were made in seven others. The stated purpose is to make food laws more industry-friendly and “shift from a regulatory regime to self-compliance by the industry”.

ix.         National Horticulture Mission has been announced which has diverted all the money in food crop production to flowers and fruits.

Many more initiatives of the Government can be listed. All of them point towards one direction and that is corporatisation of agriculture and depriving the farmers from their only sustainable livelihood.  Two more important developments are in the offing, which has been described below. The Government has initiated the process of enacting a new Seed Law by the next session of the Parliament. For this ‘The Seed Bill, 2004 has been introduced in the parliament, which is under the consideration of the select committee. The preamble of the Seed Bill 2004 says that it is a Bill ‘to provide for regulating the quality of seeds for sale, import and export and to facilitate production and supply of seeds of quality and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.’ Thus the preamble itself clearly lays down the priority of the government and the direction it wants to take in seeds. The 2004 Bill is meant for trade and industry of quality seeds.

Corporatisation of Indian Agriculture is the Real Purpose: If the National Policy For Farmers is finalised on the basis of the current draft, which is the subject matter of the above discussion, then there will be no hesitation to term it as ‘the mother of all Government policies’ aimed at corporatising agriculture in India and giving it the required bureaucratic support for it. Therefore, it is important for all concerned citizens to rise and raise their voice against this Draft National Policy For Farmers and any policy making on that basis. Let us rise to save agriculture and the farmers of India.