-Hindustan Times A newer generation of politicians has again voiced the demand of giving land to landless Dalit households as a means to resolve the crisis of rural livelihoods. But the relentless pursuit of neo-liberal economic policies and liberalisation has rendered most of these demands Utopian Seven decades after Independence, while a majority of farmers cultivate their own land (however small their holdings may be), most Dalit farmers in much of India...
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Farmers and fertiliser spend: How to make nutrient-based subsidy a success -Anuj Agarwal
-The Financial Express The NSSO 70th round survey estimates there are 156 million rural households in India, of which 57.8% are agricultural. Average monthly expenditure on crop production by cultivating agricultural households during July 2012-June 2013 was Rs 2,192. Of this, 24% is spent on fertiliser and manure. Using survey results, rough calculations suggest agricultural households’ spend on fertiliser/manure would be in the range of Rs 78,000-1,20,000 crore in next cropping...
More »Farmers need better prices
-The Hindu Business Line The Government should honour its MSP promise and lift trade curbs The Government move to impose an import duty of 10 per cent on wheat and tur is a timely one. With a bumper harvest likely in wheat this year, market prices have dropped below MSP. Apart from estimates of higher arrivals in mandis, higher imports in recent months too have hit prices. In January alone, 1.13 million...
More »Will Budget help double farmers' income? -Vidya Venkat
-The Hindu Most of the earnings of the average farm household were spent in meeting consumption expenditures. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a slew of measures in the Union Budget 2017 to boost the agriculture sector. Higher agricultural credit, higher allocation for irrigation projects, a crop insurance scheme and increased allocations for MGNREGA to dig farm ponds were among the measures announced on February 1. But will these help attain the goal...
More »Income Security Act: Securing a Life of Dignity & Security for India’s ‘Annadatas’ -Pushparaj Deshpande
-TheWire.in As a society, we should be ashamed that year after year, farmers beg for a decent livelihood and are forced to take their lives. Farming is widely recognised as a high risk venture and our farmers have had to grapple with adverse and unpredictable climatic conditions (drought, hailstorms, unseasonal rains, cyclones), unforeseen loss of crop (wild animals, technological failures, lack of irrigation) and a near complete absence of a supportive eco-system...
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