Sir,
The most important factor for the Farmers in India is the Asymmetric Information
reaching them on every count - Input, Output in terms of their availabilityand also their price.
The source of information for all these still continues to be the Input supplier i.e the retail supplier of Seed, fertilizer, pesticide etc.
2) The next issue is the procurement of different agricultural products by government. Here the farmer is also a victim.
3)The core issue of these again boils down to the crucial issue of Land Reform.
In India who really tills the land - what is their proportion in terms of having the ownership of the land (certainty of tenurship even).
4) What is stable policy in Agriculture? Do we need Agricultural policy or We are badly in need of a POLICY for Farmers?
Which is important. Who will set the priorities?
Agriculture as a sector needs a policy or Farmers as a class of people - one of the most productive - (though the % of contribution is less than 14% to GDP)need a policy for their survival.
If Farmers donot survive who will cultivate the land to provide that basic minimum of sustainable food.
Can India afford to depend upon the rest of the world for it's food requirement.
These are the issues Which CFS can take up seriously.
Pradip Kumar Nath,
Adjunct Faculty,
Center for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (CPME)
National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD)
Hyderabad, INDIA
Pradip Kumar Nath