Be it the cause of Sikhs, getting justice for those hit by Sikh riots, visiting Gurudwaras all over the country, celebrating the birth centenaries of Sikh Gurus and above all, sympathetic to the cause of Sikh farmers — Prime Minister Modi has led from the front and sent a loud and clear message that the government led by him never shy off from the welfare of Sikh community. During the last farmers’ agitation, the Modi government never tried to crush the voice as it was led by Sikh farmers. This time again, the government is keeping the doors open to talks.
On Sunday, in the conversation between the Centre and the farm unions from Punjab, the Narendra Modi government proposed a unique solution where it was willing to enter into an agreement with the farmers of Punjab on five crops (cotton, maize, tur, urad, masoor). The idea was to help farmers diversify away from wheat and paddy, both water-intensive crops, and to cushion and monetarily secure their transition for the next five years. The agreement was to be done through government agencies (CCI, NAFED, etc). There was no upper limit on the quantum of crops that would have been procured.
From an ecological perspective, this was ideal for Punjab, where the groundwater levels have alarmingly depleted. Of the 138 assessed blocks in Punjab, stated in the Dynamic Groundwater Resources Assessment of India – 2017 report, 109 are over-exploited, two critical, five semi-critical, and only 22 as safe. The total annual groundwater recharge of the state was assessed at 23.93 bcm (billion cubic metres), annual extractable groundwater resource was 21.59 bcm. Still, the annual groundwater extraction was at 35.78 bcm, putting the extraction at 166 per cent, the highest for any state in India. Even for Rajasthan, it’s less than 140 per cent. For a small farmer, the cost of extracting groundwater has increased in the last few years, and therefore, by moving away to crops that were not water-intensive, the input costs would have been reduced.
Punjab’s majority area is under wheat and paddy cultivation (85 per cent in 2020-21). Therefore, an ecosystem (market, buyers, logistics, input supplies, etc) for cotton, pulses, and maize is not as significant, therefore warranting government support for the farmers, as they enter into a new phase of agriculture. In terms of area under cultivation, maize makes up for 1.5 per cent, cotton is 3.2 1.5 per cent, and pulses merely 0.4 1.5 per cent. For farmers, moving towards these crops would have unlocked new markets and buyers, especially in the private sector, thus allowing them more options to sell their produce, even to the private players, at will.
By rejecting the offer from the Centre, the farm unions have staked the long-term interests of Punjab’s farmers for their short-term interests. By not allowing them to move away from wheat and paddy, not only are these unions barring farmers from exploring new markets, but also adding to the groundwater stress that will push up the input costs for the farmers. Eventually, it could even make some belts unfit for paddy and wheat cultivation in a few years, further hurting the small and marginal farmers. Farm unions, majorly made up of brokers, or arhtiyas, as they are locally known, are also prioritising the hefty commissions that they earn from the trade of wheat and paddy at APMC mandis. More than the price for the farmers, it is about securing the commission of the middlemen, at the cost of Punjab’s hardworking farmers and ecology.
The fact of the matter is that the Centre is trying to convince agitating farmers of the adverse impact on the economy due to universal MSP and secondly, the Modi government is trying to convince them not to play into the hands of some vested political and business interests.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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