Farmers Leaders present Agenda for the new Government

On May 25, 2014

In the backdrop of the new Government formation at the centre, important farmers leaders representing various organizations met under the banner of Federation of Indian Farmers Organisations and spelt out farmers agenda, after extensive consultation with other farmers organizations.

Farmers leaders congratulated Modi for giving centrality to agriculture and farmers issues during the elections and spelling out Gujarat Model of Success in Farm Sector. Leaders expressed their confidence that Modi Government will take bold initiatives to bring about a revolutionary transformation to the farm sector and especially to the welfare of farmers. While agriculture has grown 6 fold in the last 6 decades, farmers incomes have rather deteriorated. From what used to be 1;2 ratio in rural urban incmes, it has declined to 1:6 ratio now, which means if an urban person earns Rs. 1, the rural fellow gets only Paise 15. This is alarming situation and needs to be altered, emphasized the Group.

Farmers leaders demanded that the budget for agriculture should be in accordance to its contribution to the national GDP. While agriculture contributes 14% to GDP, budgetary allocations to this sector are not even 2%. The much talked about project of replicating Chinese Rural Business Hubs model, remains only on papers since 2005, when the Prime Minister talked about it in Vigyan Bhawan on a specially convened conference on this project, to implement through the Panchayats under PPPP. Government attention is required on the following areas to catalyse growth in farm sector and help farmers.

Creating National Farmers Welfare Commission on the pattern and with the status of Planning Commission and bring under it the bodies like Commission on Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP) and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC).

Creating Foreign Agriculture Service cadre to appoint Agriculture Trade Counsellors in all the countries on the pattern of US, Israel, Netherlands etc.. so as to give major thrust to positioning Indian food and agriculture internationally and making advantage of the global opportunities post WTO.

Separate Budget for Agriculture on the pattern of Railways Budget to be prepared and presented in the Parliament. When less than 10 crores travel on railways, there is separate budget, why not for agriculture, where 80 crore of our farmers depend for their livelihood.

Agriculture to be brought under the concurrent list of the Constitution for better central planning, as the business of food and agriculture in globalizing and there in increasing role of central Government in making laws and policies, which take advantage of the global opportunities.

Farmers Income Insurance Scheme: Farming is affected a variety of natural and market factors. The weather and trade related factors and sometimes failure of seeds, lead to havoc like situation for the farmers. The partial success of crop insurance scheme has not been able to safeguard farmers. Therefore the need is to ensure minimum income guaranteed to the farmer, based on his land holding and other factors. BJP is thus committed to bring about a legislation to cover 100% farmers under the income insurance scheme.

It was also declared that about 30 farmers organizations from all over the country are being brought on one platform and FIFO will be launched in the new name asIndian Farmers Federation (IFF) by July ending by the hands of Sh. Narendra Modi. The new body will closely work with the new Government in bringing the farmers agenda to the centre stage of national policy making. Farmers leaders expressed their deep disappointment with the work on the farmers welfare of the outgoing UPA Government.