Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Deeply anguished

As a farmer's son, I am deeply anguished at the Government's response to Waifad's woes through the years. It is only in the last one year that Waifad has received media attention. Was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh waiting for the number of farmers' suicides to reach 606 to get an understanding of the agrarian crisis in the Vidharbha region? The problem is not temporary in nature. Lack of irrigation is at its root. The falling water table has rendered the purchase of pumps redundant. Soil is fast losing its fertility due to extensive use of fertilizers and insecticides. Marketing is cumbersome, minimum support price of cotton has failed to bring respite for farmers. Barren land and life's compulsions are making the farmers sell their land at throwaway prices to big firms or to moneylenders. All this may be the story of many regions where farming is monsoon-fed but suicides by farmers in Vidharbha have shaken the nation's conscience. They highlight the farming community's woes, making us hang our heads in shame.

Neeraj Kumar,
New Delhi

* * *

Dr. Singh's visit and disbursal of relief packages to farmers' families are not going to solve the region's longstanding problems. The economist Prime Minister should appreciate that credit cannot be a cure for our ailing agriculture. What is required under Indian conditions is institutional infrastructure to sustain farm sector development. It calls for total commitment and dedication on the part of politicians and bureaucrats.

Amrit Patel,
New Jersey

* * *

Farming was once considered the best profession. Unfortunately today it has become suicidal. The way to resurrect it is to have a support price that will recover the cost of inputs and labour, and fetch reasonable profits. Link the price of foodgrains to the rates of diesel, gold, and college fees instead of providing meaningless sops such as free electricity and subsidised inputs. As a first step, all outstanding loans of small farmers should be waived. When it could be done for industrialists by absorbing their liabilities as NPAs, why not do it for farmers who have made us self-reliant in food?

Raghubir Singh,
Pune

* * *

Though Vidharbha is a great reservoir of minerals, its economy is dictated by the monsoon. Inadequate irrigation facilities and absence of major dams lead to the early drying up of rivers, making agriculture excessively dependent on the monsoon. A good percentage of the population is illiterate and is not aware of the different government schemes. Moneylenders exploit this weakness and trap the farmers.

Ajay G. Pise,
Manipal, Karnataka

* * *

It is a better option for the Government to waive debts than spend money after the damage has been done — after farmers have taken their lives. It is far from being a solution, but it can retain the productive potential of the family. Though in all cases the debt is much more than the compensation paid, it is not the economic viability of the measure that is important. It is the question of the government's responsibility to the people.

Sarath Madhavan, Thrissur, Kerala

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