BHARTIYA KISAAN BHAGWAN BHAROSE (Indian Farmers Totally Dependent on Rain God) – (23rd Mar 2010, 1840 Hrs)

BHARTIYA KISAAN BHAGWAN BHAROSE (Indian Farmers Totally Dependent on Rain God) – (23^rd Mar 2010, 1840 Hrs)

My visit to the Konkan Region Villages (Phopheri & Saral) made me realise that ever since our Independence, the most essential infrastructure needed for the agriculture sector, i.e, Irrigation Facilities – have no place in our government’s planning commission. Since 1947, Indian farmers have been dependent totally on Rain Gods and hence, they can only do farming or cultivate crops for just four months, while for eight long months, the farmlands remain useless to make the farmers jobless.

The two farmers’ families I met confessed that if there were irrigation facilities, no one would dare to leave farming and every farmer would be happy. However, a government survey revealed in 2001 that 42 % of Maharastra had turned into Urban Population because from 1991 to 2001, 8 Million Farmers had quit farming. According to various experts in the field, this figure may even double up when the 2001 to 2011 survery report will be tabled in front of the nation… that means Maharastra State is losing farmers at an alarming rate. From 70 % population who were dependent on Agriculture Sector, only 58 % are left today…and there is all probability that the percentage may come below 50 % by 2011.

No irrigation facilities, Farmers’ Suicides, Massive decline in investment in agriculture, Withdrawl of Bank Credit at soaring input prices, Crash in farm incomes with explosion of cultivation costs, Shifting of millions from Food Crops to Cash Crops with all its risks, Corporate hijack of every major sector including seeds, ground water stress and privatization of that source – well, the poor uneducated Indian farmers cannot fight against the powerful lobby of the corporate giants to survive in this cut-throat competitive world.

The day is not far, when children of today’s generation will have to fight among each other to eat two meals a day… what with farmlands are getting lesser and less and the ever increasing population shows no sign of a comma or full stop… I shudder each time I think about such a Dangerous Issue that has really no place in media…No one is really thinking how the world is going to surivive without food… all one is bothered about is Global Warming, a farce that the Americans have created to misled the world to make billions of dollars to run their economy.