Farmers In This Amravati Village Wait For Their Fate
In my interview with a student-farmer from Nandgaon Peth village (Amravati district), various problems faced by the farmers such as electricity supply, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, privatization of compensation mechanism, unionization of rich-big farmers, and more have brought drought-like period for them.
Some have even resorted to suicide due to the long-term effects of these problems.
Privatization Of Compensation Mechanism
Tusshar Kaapde, a student-farmer explained how the compensation system works in Nandgaon Peth village.
- For farmers to secure their crop against any unprecedented calamities, they pay a certain annual premium to an insurance company. -
- In times when the crop is damaged due to the reasons mentioned in the premium document, the farmer is eligible for certain compensation.
- Tusshar further explains that for a farmer to seek redressal for the compensation, the process is tidy and most of the farmers in the village lack the information for the same.
- An officer appointed by the insurance company helps in settling the compensation amount.
When Tusshar tried to reach the in-charge officer of his village, he was surprised to find that there was no allotted officer.
The trouble for farmers begins from the core of the issue.
Firstly, the farmers lack information about the due process for seeking compensation. This makes them hesitant to move forward with their claim.
Secondly, in the absence of an officer, where would the victims of crop failure or loss would redress their issue?
In the last few years, the compensation mechanism has been allotted to private companies from governmental organizations. This has led to complete mismanagement and unnecessary delay in the process to procure compensation.
Plus, the private entities (some of which are sister companies of bigger banks) fail to deliver compensation to most of the farmers.
Fall Army Worm (FAW) And Governments Failure
In 2018, farmlands in Maharashtra and other southern Indian states were devastated by Fall Army Worm (FAW) attack. As the farmers were already in flux with drought, indebtedness, and falling crop prices, the latest infestation wreaked havoc across the state.
On top of that, a lack of knowledge and awareness among them as well as the state officials further exacerbate the problem.
In Tusshar’s village, farmers whose fields were devastated by the FAW attack in 2018 were given some compensation. With speculations that a similar worm attack could come in 2019, the government and other authorities paid little hed to understanding the core of the FAW crisis.
In 2019, the FAW attack returned and devastated several districts in Maharashtra. Tusshar further explains that the local, as well as the state government, had ample time to understand the core elements of the attack.
“If they would have allotted some resources to understand the FAW’s deepening crisis, the 2019 attack could have been controlled”
Electricity - Only For The City
In another tale of the government’s mismanagement, Tusshar entails one of the serious issues in his village - electricity supply.
During the winter sowing season, sometimes electricity is supplied at night. For farmers to sow, they have to use pumps and other similar machines, and hence, they have to work on their farms on the chilly winter nights.
With no clarity by the authorities on why electricity is sometimes supplied at the night, farmers have to carry on their work in knee-deep water at night when temperatures can sometimes fall to single digits.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana - Money Is Not The Solution
One of the principal things that Tusshar explained was the PM Fasal Bima Yojana’s annual pay element. Under this scheme, eligible farmers are annually paid INR 6000 (INR 16.66/day).
Pointing out the amount provided to farmers, Tusshar entails that the scheme must not focus on money but throw light on the services needed to constantly run and improve farming. For instance, he gave the example of how government can provide subsidized seeds and fertilizers to help farmers counter the purchase of duplicate fertilizers in the market.
MSP, Rich-Big Farmers Union, And Exploitation
One of the major concerns for farmers not only in Nandgaon Peth or Maharashtra but in India is MSP (Minimum support price). Selling your produce at MSP in Nandgaon Peth is an erroneous task.
Tusshar explains how farmers with contacts in the government procurement system are prioritized in getting MSP for their produce than the other farmers. Another grave issue with the buying-selling system is the unionization of big and rich farmers.
The Dark Farmer Unions
The big and rich farmers of the locality form unions and collectively decide the price of buying and selling the produce. This unity sheds a dark light on poor and small farmers who are dependent on MSP for their survival.
As the system is indirectly controlled by these farmer unions, it is the small and poor farmers who face financial losses and hurdles.
Delayed MSP
On the other side, those farmers who sell their produce at MSP are taken aback by another factor. MSP takes around 3-4 months to reach the farmers.
“For farmers who cannot survive for 3-4 months without any rolling pay, they have to sell their produce at a cheap rate to the other farmers,” Tusshar adds.
To read this article in Marathi, click here - https://jinitparmar.blogspot.com/2021/07/blog-post.html
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