Having thwarted much-needed reforms in agriculture by forcing the Union Government to withdraw its farm laws, earlier, the so-called farmers of Punjab are now attempting to push the advantage by seeking a range of measures that would supposedly give agriculturists a fair return on their produce. This they are attempting to do, not by holding discussions with the powers that be on the subject for as long as it takes, but by laying siege to the national capital in the way of marauding invaders of the past. By inflicting hardships on the ordinary residents of Delhi and its surrounding regions, they seek to embarrass an elected government into surrender.
The truth is that the demands are akin to those of addicts pressurising their families to fund their addiction. For more than five decades, now, farming practices in Punjab, as well as other parts of north India, have only been possible due to the numerous freebies and subsidies provided. This has rendered them greatly uncompetitive. It is true that government support and incentives were necessary at a time when India was facing serious shortages, but the rise in the tide over the years has required that farming not only be made more productive but also have changes introduced for it to become a profitable exercise. Agriculture scientists and economists can best prescribe the range of changes needed but even the layperson knows that the pressure on groundwater needs to be greatly eased by shifting production of crops like rice to areas where rainfall serves the purpose. This would also bring down the need to subsidise electricity supply to tubewells. Small land holdings have to be brought together in collectives to produce higher earning agriculture produce, and so on. Unfortunately, the system has got the farmers hooked to the government giveaways and greatly disinclined towards making the difficult effort to bring in changes.
India cannot afford this debilitating practice of paying higher costs for declining productivity – first subsidise the farmers, and then the consumers. If the world were more peaceful and normal, it would be more logical to import cheaper agriculture products. From China to Israel, agricultural productivity is considerably higher than India’s – mostly due to introduction of innovative practices, as well as the latest Science and Technology. The hooked ‘farmers’ of the former agricultural revolution areas should not be allowed to pull the rest of the nation down with them. They need to go ‘cold turkey’ on their addiction, and certain politicians should stop being their enablers.
