Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Farmers versus SEZs

This refers to the report "Farmers on the warpath against SEZ" (Sept. 29). The plight of the farmers of Pen, who face the threat of acquisition of their fertile land for the Mumbai Special Economic Zone of the Reliance Group, is unfortunate. No one seems to be giving them the correct picture. Janardhan Mhatre is right in demanding that a special agriculture zone be set up instead. It will surely benefit the farming community. The Government should address the farmers' concerns urgently to prevent a rebellion from breaking out.

Neeti Gupta,
Bangalore

Though the Government's approval for more SEZs may help us in our so-called economic development, the question is: should the development be at the cost of our farmers? That monetary compensation or jobs will neither help farmers nor in the promotion of their interests is common sense. We need to realise that every blow we deliver to the farm sector will backfire in the long run. Such projects must come up on waste or barren land, not on fertile farmland. Economic development should be holistic and should complement the farm sector.

Divakar Pai,
Thrissur, Kerala

The farm sector cannot support the entire rural population. Industries have a major role to play in eradicating rural poverty. They also need water and uninterrupted power. It is naive to think that they can be located on wasteland where no such facilities are available. For a harmonious blend of agriculture and industry, we must think of locating SEZs near seaports and airports having better road connectivity. Then there will be no need to acquire agricultural land. We can also think of expanding industries vertically instead of horizontally to save on land requirements.

V. Padmanabhan,
Bangalore

Growth is essential for removing poverty. Anything that slows down the economy hits the poor the hardest. India needs to tackle unemployment if it has to eradicate poverty in the next 25 years. While services-led growth has removed unemployment among the educated to a large extent, the people have not reaped much benefit. To move people out of agriculture and create new jobs and industrial growth is important. Hence, SEZs are a must.

The Government must come up with a concrete medium to long-term policy while taking all stakeholders along.

Pranav Sachdeva,
New Delhi

Large-size companies including MNCs should adopt villages, which have vast cultivated and cultivable wasteland.

They should provide a package of services including training to farmers in the latest technology, hiring modern machinery at concessional rates, assisting in bringing wasteland under cultivation, undertaking soil testing, arranging for profitable marketing of the produce and educating farmers on avoiding wasteful expenditure.

Companies should earmark a certain percentage of their funds for the development of farms and farmers.

R. Thirunarayanan,
Charlotte, North Carolina

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