" THAT AGRICULTURE IS GASPING FOR BREATH IS A TRUISM " . This sector employs about half the workforce but contributes to the economy just 17 - 18 per cent of the GDP . Drastic situations demand drastic measures.
The farmer needs to be respected as an entrepreneur and freed from the shackles of draconian laws like the APMC acts and the essential services Act. on the face of it , the government seems to be extremely keen to improve the situation. it has pledged to double the income of farmers by 2022.
it is reportedly working on an assortment of schemes an programs including a mobile app , a fund for pisiculture and the use of big data , artificial intelligence and block chain technology .
the government wants to ensure that the rural India gets investment , public as well as private , to the tune of Rs. 25 lakh crore hectares of land under micro irrigation.
so far, so good . schemes , programs, special fund , technology , innovation , new methods - all of them will surely help . but the critical issue remains the same . the farm sector ought to be liberalized for once and all. populist measures like farm loan waivers have to be done away with .
the Niti Ayog , which is headed by the prime minister , last year released ' strategy for New India @75 ' which said , " in agriculture , emphasis must shift to converting farmers to 'Agri preneurs ' by further expanding e - national Agriculture markets ( e -Nams ) and replacing the agriculture produce and livestock Marketing Act . ( APLM )
The creation of a unified national market , a freer export regime and abolition of the essential commodities act are essential for boosting agricultural growth. since agriculture provides the backward linkage to Agro - based industries and services, it has to be viewed historically as a seamless farm to fork value chain , comprising farming , wholesaling , ware housing , logistics , processing ,and retailing including exports.
in October 2016 , the Niti Ayog had identified three key areas for reform and begun persuading states to undertake the reforms - agricultural reforms , market reforms , land lease reforms , and reforms related to forestry on private land . it noted that while marketing is extremely crucial , " agricultural development in India has entirely ignored the potential of marketing and has continued to follow its old trajectory . productivity in some states is regrettably low and there is a vast disconnection between prices received by farmers and the prices paid by customers. "
Technology can help but can't galvanize the farm sector on its own stream. Technology can be a force multiplier but not a substitute for reforms.
source - Newspaper
Information collection & Edited by - Sameer Mohapatro - An Agriculturist
M.S SWAMINATHAN SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE , CUTM , PARALAKHEMUNDI , ODISHA , INDIA
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