The Hindu : Front Page : `Given a choice, 40 per cent farmers will quit'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 01, 2005

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Front Page

`Given a choice, 40 per cent farmers will quit'

Special Correspondent

Findings by NSSO should come as a wake up call for `corporate India'

NEW DELHI: About 40 per cent of the 51,770 farm households surveyed by the National Sample Survey Organisation said they would quit farming, given a choice. About 27 per cent said they did not like farming because it was not profitable, while eight per cent felt it was a "risky proposition."

The survey, conducted at the behest of the Agriculture Ministry between January and December 2003 for the agriculture year 2002-03, covered farm households spread across 6,638 villages.

Almost 60 per cent of the households reported they liked farming as a profession. About 29 per cent of them had a member of a cooperative society, five per cent a member of a self-help group and two per cent a member of a registered farmers' organisation.

Only 19 per cent of the households had availed themselves of services — credit facilities or services related to seeds or fertilizers — from the cooperative sector.

The survey report, "Some aspects of farming," based on the situation assessment survey of farmers, said 57 per cent of the farmers did not know their crops could be insured.

Only four per cent of the households had ever insured their crops. About 18 per cent knew about bio-fertilizers. About 29 per cent understood what minimum support price meant. Only eight per cent of the households had heard of the World Trade Organisation.

About 47 per cent of the households used diesel tractors for ploughing, while 52 per cent relied on animal power. Nearly 66 per cent used diesel pumps and 33 per cent electric pumps for irrigation. Almost 47 per cent of the households used farm-saved seeds, while 48 per cent purchased seeds. Whereas 30 per cent farmers replaced seed varieties every year, another 32 per cent replaced them in an alternate year. Fertilizers were used by 76 per cent of farm households during the kharif season and 54 per cent during the rabi. Organic manure was used by 56 per cent farmers during kharif and 38 per cent during rabi.

Improved seeds were used by 46 per cent households during kharif and 34 per cent during rabi. Pesticides were used by 46 per cent households during kharif and 31per cent during rabi. Veterinary services were used by 30 per cent households during kharif and 22 per cent during rabi.

Irrigation

The survey showed that the gross irrigated area was 42 per cent of cropped area during kharif and 56 per cent during rabi. Tubewells were the major source of irrigation. About 50 per cent of all irrigated land during the kharif season and 60 per cent during the rabi season was irrigated by tubewells. Wells were used to irrigate 19 per cent of land during kharif and 16 per cent during rabi. Canals accounted for irrigation of 18 per cent land during kharif and 14 per cent during rabi.

This is the third report in the series of five, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Agricultural activities included cultivation of field and horticultural crops, growing trees or plants such as rubber, cashew, coconut, pepper, coffee and tea and animal husbandry, fishery, beekeeping, vermiculture and sericulture.

Estimates were presented in the report for all States individually except Goa and the National Capital Region Territory of Delhi and for all the Union Territories together as a group.

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