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CoverStory AGRICULTURE

prepare suggestions for the next 10-15 years. An- Farmers have been demanding to revise the criteria
other factor that affects the condition of farmers is of insurance cover but of no avail.
political decision making. The distress of farmers
can be remedied to a great extent if right policies are SUICIDES
implemented at the right time. For instance, farmers The farmers’ suicides in India are the manifestation
should move away from wheat and paddy in Punjab of agrarian crisis in the country. According to re-
and Haryana. But the assured price and procure- ports, farmers’ suicides account for 11.2 per cent of all
ment infrastructure, which is not available for other suicides in the country. The phenomenon of farm-
crops has impeded the diversification towards other ers suicides came to the light during 1990s. As per
crops. The farmers in some pockets of Himachal official government figures, between 1995 to 2004,
Pradesh have been forced to diversify from apple approximately 3 lakh farmers committed suicides.
to other crops as the rising temperatures are not
conducive for apple farming. Thus, climate change
has forced them to shift to other crops. Proactive
transformation adaptation is a solution that can be The crop insurance
adopted in Asia and Africa,” said Nambi.
STUBBLE BURNING scheme, rolled out
Paddy straw management has become a burning is- with fanfare by
sue as the pollution emanating from burning of pad-
dy straw pollutes a vast stretch in north India up to
New Delhi. It has health and economic implications. the Modi government,
The road, rail and air-connectivity get disrupted due
to smog. But the burning of paddy affects farmers has not benefitted the
and their families the most as they inhale the smoke
with highest content of harmful gases. The states of farmers, who allege
Punjab and Haryana spearheaded the setting up of
thermal power plants run on biomass by inviting that this has created
private power players under renewable energy mis-
sion. But it could not work out as the transportation holes in their pockets
cost of biomass makes the revenue model of such
projects non-viable. The government has roped in
research institutes and universities to explore solu-
Farmers’ suicides tion to this problem. Due to mechanisation, the har-
account for 11.2% of all
suicides in the country vesting span has been compressed to three weeks The actual number could be higher, according to the
and managing 20 metric tonne (only in Punjab) is a agriculturists). The farmers are not equipped with
huge task and available solutions are not adequate. any other skill-set to earn their livelihood. Under
Farmers are struggling with disposal of stubble as immense pressure from banks and moneylenders,
the right time is critical to help the farmers. Climate work can help tremendously to reduce crop loss due they have to prepare their fields for the next crop. they decide to end their lives.
information can help to save the crops from sudden to weather vagaries. Another problem with India is The state governments have been propagating the The manifestation of growing resentment and
weather change. its vast and diverse geography. India has 121 agro- recycling of paddy straw through in-situ manage- massive congregations of farmers with roadmap
“Climate change is a global phenomenon and the climatic zones and there are challenges in imple- ment. This includes incorporation of paddy residue for sustainable solutions is indicative of tough go-
entire world is struggling to find solutions as it af- mentation. We need to devise institutional thinking. in the soil or its retention on the surface. ing for the political parties. Farmers are vociferous
fects the basic human need of food. Our country Climate risk management should be administered. about their demands and uniting for their cause.
has worked in this direction and our preparation in Access to weather information is critical but the CROP INSURANCE They understand that their demands are incorpo-
terms of planning for agriculture and climate change requisite inputs should be made available in a short The crop insurance scheme, rolled out with fanfare rated in the election manifesto of political parties
is at par with other countries of the world. But we lag period. The availability of inputs at the right time is during the Modi government, has not benefitted the but forgotten after attaining the power. “Last gen-
when comes to implementation. The State Action the most effective means to minimise the loss due to farmers. Farmers allege that this has created holes eral elections, we went with the wave but this time
Plans have been framed but the ground level imple- adverse climate. Farmers face either glut of scarcity in their pockets as the banks deduct the premium we have many questions. We may not have money
mentation is tardy. Some states are pro-active but in the input market that restricts the benefits of risk of insurance cover from their loan account without and muscle power but we have ballot power and this
many have not achieved the desired results. There is management. Our job does not end with releasing their consultation. For illiterate farmers, seeking the time we will use it prudently,” said a farmer from Ut-
a tepid response from states on the climate related forecasts. We need to collect regular feedback from compensation of crop cover is an arduous task. It has tar Pradesh. There is a writing on wall. Time will tell
initiatives. In Australia, climate information is sought the farmers on the recent impact of the climate and been reported that the insurance companies have who could read it.
right from sowing to packaging of agriculture pro- difficulties faced by the them as a result of adverse earned a business of 24,000 crore, but the compen-
duce. A rigorous implementation of policy frame- climate. We need to analyse current situation and sation of only 8000 crore was distributed in a year. LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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