In a very touching gesture, the US Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mike Johanns, took note of the large
scale farmer suicides in India, as also the ongoing national campaign to draw attention to the indifference
of Indian Central government, to address the fundamental causes behind large scale farm suicides.
In India, the statistics are chilling - 150,000 farmer suicides in a decade. Considering that one farmer on
an Indian farm supports and feeds a family of about 6-10 members, the calamity that the Indian countryside is
facing becomes very obvious. But Americans have an easy explanation on how to swallow this bitter pill with a
cheerful smile.
The Secretary was taking note of this fact during a visit to New Delhi in November 2006, and described the
situation as "a complex issue". Complex it is all right, we all know that ! Thanks for telling us this Mr
Secretary.
But the most bewildering part of the Secretary's observations about Indian farmer suicides, was when he
opened his mouth on the issue of subsidies to farmers in US versus the subsidies to farmers in Europe.
Not to be side tracked, by the issue of large scale, Indian farmer suicides, the Secretary came up with the
most insensitive, and callous of comparisons, that can possibly be made by some one who operates routinely in
the political and foreign relations realm.
The Secretary made light of the "complex issue of farmer financial distress" by coming up with a formula, of
comparing the Indian farm suicides with the farmer suicides in US. The sugar coated pill he tried to force
down Indian politicians, and food policy analysts, was that - quote ".. in per capita terms, the number of
suicides in both countries is the same"..unquote.
One can draw the obvious conclusion - an Indian farmer's life is equivalent to just 5% of an American farmers
life. Three cheers to free world and new global order.
I would certainly not like to believe that the Secretary actually meant what he said. Because if he did, then
one realizes the very insidious nature of the attitude of American politicians to farm issues in the
developing countries and their total disregard for human life, when it comes to agricultural trade issues,
and finding global markets for American farm produce.
This does remind me, of the observation of the Indian science historian, Dharampal, that - "The tendency of
the western nations is that they will try to eliminate those that do not live up to the standard which they
define as civilisation, this is the rule and it is considered correct. Darwin's theory comes much later, the
main thing is that this is the way in which the west thinks. Survival of the fittest, and others have to
either be fit or let to wither away - if not helped in the process. They will not be bothered if few lakh
rural Indians die of natural calamity. This is not a problem for them, those people are any way not fit to
live, so let them die will be the attitude."
Says quite a bit about free trade in agriculture, lobbyists and arm twisters, and the American and European
friends of Indian farmers.
The time has come to initiate a debate on a framework which lays out the contours of a possible "exit policy"
for small Indian farmers. Indian farmers would like to stop lifting the burden of being subsidy receivers and
would like to gift their entire lands and thereby no more enjoy any subsidies, if only the Indian government
will guarantee them a viable exit policy and compensation on the lines of European and American farmers.
What better way can there be to conclusively prove the truth of the promises of ushering in a Second Green
Revolution, than by vacating all farm lands, reorganizing them into large modern corporate viable holdings,
and allowing a new breed of B-schools trained management cadre of farm managers to till the land, manage
land, water and seed resources.
This will show and demonstrate to the sceptics, the benefits of large land holdings, modern agricultural
technology, GM seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, export oriented contract farming, crop and horticultural
diversification, liberal farm credit and futures commodities trading, will it not ? Surely this is a great
and worthy national project of epic proportions that will win the approval of McKinsey consultants, IMF and
World Bank.
Why should uneducated farmers live on small unviable farm lands, why should they not migrate en masse to
cities and live their lives under the comforting shade of the Sixth Pay Commission and the risk free bounties
it can offer them. Is not everybody of sensible mind leaving farming to start life as an urban dweller ?
Surely farmers are desperate to gift their lands and agree to be re classified as government servants, even
at a fraction of other government servant salaries. Will the government show this generosity ?
Parliamentarians have intricate formulae for raising their own fixed salary and benefits. Farmers of India
would also like to partake of a similar farm payments / wages formula that concerned parliamentarians can
surely evolve for them, if they are willing, and put their minds and considerable expertise to the task.
After all India is now Shining India, a super power, an Asian Tiger pushing for a role on the world stage
and a seat in United Nations Security Council. If this seat in the Security Council is not going to benefit
the farmers, who is it meant to benefit ?
Food policy pundits, are busy these days, telling everyone that the solution to Indian farmer suicides, lies
not in financial imprudence, a.k.a., farmer loans write off, but, in the farmers being persuaded to embrace
contract farming, as the essential basic producers, who will somehow, fit into, the retail and corporate sector
strategies, of food, "from the farm to the fork".
They say, the Indian government should continue on the
strategy, of subsidizing corporate and industrial infrastructure, and drop the policy of Indira Gandhi, that
underlay the Green Revolution and the motive of food self sufficiency, that underpinned it.
Commodities futures trading, crop diversifications, horticulture, cut flowers for European markets, organic
nomenclature, rural food processing units, you name it, they have enough solutions to how the farmer can save
his body, even if he has to sell off his soul to the devil.
Of course, it is the same farm pundits, who can not tell the difference between one weed growing on a plot of
land from another, or will entertain the idea, of forced farm conscription for their own children.
Nor do they
have any answers, why wheat is being imported from global markets at much higher prices, while the dumb Indian
farmer is told, that he must attend kisan chaupals, to learn how to protect his crop from pests, and help in
the dismantling of the food storage godowns of FCI.
The same farm pundits, are hoping that somehow, the lack of options, that the Indian farmer has from his own
government, will effectively seal him and sandwich him, into accepting the role of "contracted producer" in
the new regime, of food super markets and convenience shopping retail chains, for an urban, and maybe urbane,
middle class.
A band of contract farming management experts, is taking shape, again, manned by the people, who will scoff at
the very idea, of their own children being forced to till the land, even if only for purely academic purposes,
and make a living from farming in the modern India.
Farming by conscription, is of course, unthinkable in democratic India for the children of the urban and
urbane, farm pundits. But somehow, farmers are essentially doing that. In return, they get the sheer luxury of
voting for either Ajit Singh, Mayawati or Mulayam Singh, once every five years, and derogatory labels like
kulaks and illiterate peasants.
Tikait and the tractors of the Jat kulaks crowding the spick and span RajPath is a detestable sight of course
for these concerned "friends of farmers".
Join the band wagon of sewing fantastic invisible clothes, for the naked emperor.