Chances are most Indians reading this would have eaten something grown on an Indian farm in their last meal. From the rice we put on our plate to the wheat in our chapatis, Indian farms touch us every day of our life. However, when we eat our staples, we never think someone might have died for it.
And yet, this year alone, more than a thousand farmers might kill themselves because they could not make money off their farms. This is happening in a country where farmers get subsidies, tax breaks and welfare schemes. This is occurring in a land where every politician screams pro-farmer slogans, thousands of NGOs represent farmers’ causes and almost everyone agrees that we must take care of our farmers.
So what on earth is going on? This may be 2015, yet millions of our citizens earn their livelihood from a profession so risky, a week of unseasonal rain can wreck a family’s finances for life.
What is the problem? Ask the experts and the usual answers come – fragmented land holdings that make farms inefficient, poor irrigation (only one-third of our farmland is irrigated), corrupt compensation and insurance mechanisms, non-availability of cheap capital, inadequate storage facilities, stranglehold of middlemen, lack of modern technology and poor agricultural marketing to name a few. Each of these reasons is valid and can be debated endlessly. While such discussions are necessary, the most important truth is that we have failed the farmer.
We eat our meals every day because of their blood and sweat, but we have failed them so much that they survive at nature’s mercy and never get to thrive. With all our fake-socialist, ill-conceived policies and corrupt execution we have kept the Indian farmer poor and will continue to do so. You will hear a lot of compensation announcements because of the recent crop failure. However, the fact is the Indian farmer is just about kept alive on drip feed.
This is for two reasons – to provide cheap food to middle and upper classes and to nurture a vote bank for the political class. If we really cared about our farmers, we would give them access to the world and allow them to benefit from globalisation. However, in the name of food security (call it our insecurity) and our default anti-MNC, anti-progress, anti-modernity, anti-change attitude we don’t allow the farmer to farm for and integrate with the world.
The irony is this is a great opportunity for India. Apart from Make in India another campaign needs to happen: Bake in India. With half of our population involved in farming, why can’t we provide for the kitchens of the entire world? Why do we see our farmers as bonded labour, locked into producing only for India? Why, for instance, do we hate agricultural MNCs so much that we don’t let them get near our farmers? Why do we allow Indian middlemen and corrupt officials to suffocate the farmer, but feel a global corporation will be their worst enemy?
We want people to make in India, but we don’t even have a decent land bill to allow them to acquire land to set up a plant. We also don’t have the infrastructure to allow for efficient and world-class manufacturing. Our regulations, laws and tax rules are too complicated to lure global manufacturers to come here in droves.
What we do have ready are hundreds of millions of farmers, who are ready to grow food for a modest cost and some income stability. The world needs food. We have the farmers. Can’t we use this to create a Bake in India revolution?
We have to admit that somewhere, the government has failed miserably in fixing farmers’ woes. No amount of subsidy or welfare will solve the structural problems facing the sector. When the government has failed isn’t it time to give private players, particularly large global private players a shot at Indian farms? Why do we have this perception of the evil big corporation, when we ourselves are killing our farmers? Won’t it be much better if a large corporate with deep pockets collaborates with our farmers?
If we don’t want to hand over control to MNCs, maybe we can have farmer cooperatives and MNC joint ventures. The exact details will need to be hammered out, but shouldn’t we admit that there is a crisis requiring something drastic and different to be done?
Inviting global agriculture players to get the best out of farmers is one such idea. And it should take priority over trying to usher in a manufacturing revolution. While it would be wonderful to make the world’s semiconductors and LED televisions one day, we are a long way away from it. However, we can surely give the world something equally important – its cereals, milk, butter, tomatoes and fruits.
In doing so, our farmers’ standard of living will improve. Sure, it may mean slightly higher costs for our upper and middle classes for their food as they will now compete with global markets. However, isn’t it better we pay a little extra for atta than have blood stained chapatis? Before we make in India, let’s bake in India first.