Dr. Sazzala Jeevananda Reddy
Here the basic issue is “threat of hidden costs and benefits in agri-food systems is effectively incorporated in to decision making for transformation”. It varies with country to country; state to state within the country, etc. and primarily depending upon weather and climate change – natural variability and type of ruling. Therefore I am looking at India – state of Andhra Pradesh. The issues like adulterated-polluted foods that cause health hazards. In India people spend huge sums towards health hazards. This is the major threat of hidden costs.
People are accustomed to polluted wheat and rice, particularly supplied under public distribution system at subsidized price. At COP 21 at Paris meet MNCs were successful in thwarting any steps against to chemical inputs and GM seeds. MNCs were the major beneficiaries of chemical fertilizer inputs, pesticides-insecticides, etc. and Genetically Modified [GM] seeds. So far nobody stopped their role in agriculture as governments are sub serving the interests of MNCs.
Here let me give a case of a farmer, Hemadri Reddy holding 40 acres of land invented by chance “Aundu Korra” that one time seeding gives four time harvests. Two years back [2002] for the first time planted in 5 acres. Each crop gave 10 quintals/acre. First time it fetched Rs, 5,000/quintal. Second harvest fetched Rs. 7, 500/quintal. 2nd year in Kharif season added 15 more acres. Third yield sold at Rs. 9,500/quintal and 4th harvest will take some more time. The investment per acre is around Rs. 20,000. He applied three times irrigation for a crop. By giving more number of irrigations the yield will go down. BY growing “Janumu” and mixing that in the soil and through ploughing the land germinated Aundu Korra fetched Rs. 15,000/quintals. Here the cost for tractor services got from fodder selling. Goat and Sheep manure on the proposed land is a cheap way of better fertilising system. This year he wanted extend two other crops, namely Korralu and Aricalu – all these are minor millets cultivated prior to profit driven green revolution technology which is a mono crop system, fodder is not suitable for animal feed and thus the traditional animal husbandry disappeared. The food is not nutritious and new diseases playing the major role. With this the cost of health care going up and up. Like this several hidden costs. In the case of millets the cost of lobour, etc. are minimal. Such innovations are aplenty in India but governments failed encourage spreading such innovations.
FAO on 7th December 2018 approved India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets. FAO proposed Year 2023 as an International year of Millets. Millets consists of Jowar (Sorghum), Bajra (Pearl Millet), Ragi (Finger Millet), and minor millets together termed as nutria-Cereals. Though it is a good initiative, yet it is to be seen how far these are going to be implemented in the back-drop of MNCs!!!
Animal husbandry played vital role in household food & nutrient security in rural India under traditional agriculture. This system has been affected severely with the green revolution with poor quality fodder under mono-crop system. This increased hidden costs. The unhealthy food of rice and wheat produced under huge government subsidy is supplied again under huge subsidy in Public Distribution System [PDS]. This affected severely the millet based dry-land crops area and consumption of millet based healthy diet for human and animal [fodder]. As a result, the native land races of these crops are in great threat. There is procurement system for rice, wheat & cotton that are grown under high subsidies. No such system exists for millets/minor millets.
Fragmentation of holdings is one of the main causes of low agricultural productivity as lot of times; and labour is wasted in moving seeds, fertilizers, implements and cattle, etc. In 1970-71 the average size was 2.28 ha; this was 1.41 in 1990-91; and 1.08 in 2015-16.
Cooperative farming/agriculture system overcomes the problem of smaller farm holdings. Cooperatives though not new to India, in agriculture there are few isolated cases only. Anand Dairy Milk [White Revolution] cooperative was highly successful in Gujarat. Private dairies are flourishing in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Sugarcane/Sugar cooperative in Maharashtra also showed the success path. Cooperative form of agriculture is the only solution under the present volatile political and climate conditions to achieve near sustainable production at farmers’ level and thereby strengthen their economic conditions and as well nation’s economy. Here farmers come together and cultivate the land without disturbing the boundaries by better utilization of the natural resources available in an effective way. Also, plan and store and sell the produce through cooperatives joining together. At present middlemen are profiting.
By including organic farming that includes components of traditional agriculture, namely animal husbandry, cropping system, crop rotation, etc. under cooperative agriculture system provide economic-food-nutrient security and as well provide employment. Organic agriculture is nothing but a traditional agriculture system wherein the later fertilizer is farmyard manure/green manure and for the former fertilizer is compost – several types. With chemical input technology in 1950-60s with mono crop based farming killed the animal husbandry based farming and thus nutrition based food security. To overcome the non-availability of farmyard manure, techniques were devised to create compost – on farm and off-farm [under traditional system]. Here progressive farmers’ innovation techniques can be incorporated.
Now people of developing countries are severely affected by the adulterated food including milk. Fruits are treated with chemicals. Chemicals are used to ripening of mango fruits. Oil is extracted from dead animals and mixed with others. Bt-cotton seed oil is produced illegally. Even though this is a major hazard the people of India are facing, the rulers are looking at real estate business at the cost of destruction of environment. Poor ethics and poor governance is ruling the roots of the nation. UN agencies can do something on such issues??? Whenever rulers change then nobody knows the changed government’s plans?
In conclusion, as long as soil and water pollution play the role in agriculture, we may achieve production in quantity but not in quality; As long as we follow chemical input-mono crop agriculture system we rarely achieve the nutrition security; The foods supplied through market chain are unhealthy food excluding organic foods, whatever may be claims of the suppliers; UN agencies and agencies like World Bank must work and help in the eradication of role of pollution in agriculture instead of wasting money on issues like “global warming and carbon credits”; However, under vote bank politics the chances of implementation of agricultural technology that provides socio-economic, food-nutrition security and that is environment friendly are bleak; particularly with changing guard frequently. However there is an urgent need for improving the quality of life of farming community and to achieve this goal: Rulers must keep vote bank agenda aside and develop national policy on agriculture technology and financial assistance programmes to agriculture sector, more particularly to farming community; To achieve this goal states and central agriculture ministries must come together; and as well at state level both ruling and opposition leaders must come together to evaluate the policy and give concrete suggestions; By taking into account such suggestions from the states, the centre must bring out the policy document and implement the same. This will also save the wasteful expenditure. The governments must think seriously to eradicate the production and sale of adulterated food stuff; treating fruits with chemicals; etc. Instead of harping on global warming and wasting billions of dollars on them, UN agencies must plan to help the nations by encouraging studies related natural variability in rainfall and thus adapting agriculture to such variations; UN agencies must plan to help the nations by building agriculture systems like organic farming + animal husbandry under cooperative agriculture structure;
The two natural resources that are vital for agriculture are soil and climate. Soil is static while climate is dynamic. Climate is beyond human control and thus needs to adapt to it. The two main climatic parameters that play vital role in agriculture are temperature and precipitation. In addition, the production is a function of agriculture technology and availability of sustainable irrigation facilities.
Role of “Climate Change on agriculture production, price-rise and food-nutrient security” is an issue widely discussed in recent times at national and international level by UN agencies, by media as well by governments in their planning. However, all such discussions lack practicality verified with ground realities over different parts of the globe. Sometimes the same organization presents two different reports that counter each other.
The author presented pros and cons on three agri bills brought out by the Indian government, in which contact farming formed the main component. However, later the government withdrew the three agri-bills. I submitted my comments to PM of India and Supreme Court appointed Committee [later published in a journal]. Prior to 2004 the ruling party started implementing corporate agriculture at Kuppam in AP with government money but failed. Here farmers whose land was used became laborers in their own land. I proposed cooperative farming, after 2004 the government assigned the task to prepare the plan of action to an Advisor. But the Advisor under the title cooperative farming included corporate farming that was failed. This I brought to the notice of states Chief minister of the AP State. He cancelled the program. Unfortunately he died in helicopter crash later.
Madhya Pradesh [MP] government formed a separate “Agriculture Cabinet” and passed a comprehensive “organic policy” to make MP an organic state. However, this does not translate in to action as the government is subsidizing (90%) to hybrid maize seed distribution programs involving the US based seed giant Monsanto and two other biotech companies under “Project Sunshine”. This is named as “Yellow revolution” and also it is being implemented in Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, among others. That means, government is telling something and doing something else due to the pressure from MNCs!!! Encouraging to produce polluted food.
The total subsidies [food & fertilizer] have increased from Rs. 12,158 crore in 1990-91 to Rs. 1,29,243 crore in 2008-09, an increase by 10.6 times and as a percentage of GDP, the total subsidies represent an increase from 0.85% in 1990-91 to 1.52% in 2008-09; The fertilizer subsidy has increased from Rs. 4,389 crore in 1990-91 to Rs. 75,849 crore in 2008-09 representing an increase of over 17 times and the fertilizer subsidy in India as percentage of the GDP varied from 0.47 in 2002-03 to 1.52 percent in 2008-09; The total food subsidy has jumped to Rs. 43,627 crore in 2008-09 from 2,450 crores in 1990-91, about 18-fold increase in less than two decades in absolute terms. But if one looks at the percentage of GDP, then the burden of food subsidies in India is much less than that of many other developing countries. The food subsidy in India as percentage of the GDP has varied from 0.41 in 1992-93 to 1.02 in 2002-03, and on an average remained at 0.66% over the last 19 years; During the nineties (1990-91 to 2000-01), fertilizer subsidy accounted for about 47% of the total subsidies and share of food subsidy was 35.1%. In the 2000s (2001-02 to 2008-09), food subsidy became dominant, accounting for 49.1% of the total subsidy while fertilizer subsidy accounted for 39.5%. However, during the last three years, fertilizer subsidy has taken the largest share and accounted for 58.7% of total subsidies in 2008-09. Y 2023 these have further increased in percentage with more area coming under irrigation and population growth. With all these farmers are producing unhealthy polluted foods.
There was a debate about whether the fertilizer subsidy benefits the farmers or the fertilizer industry. Furthermore, the benefits of fertilizer subsidy are heavily tilted to large farmers growing water-intensive crops like rice, sugarcane, wheat, cotton, in a handful of states. It also states that the share of farmer in the fertilizer subsidy increased from 24.54% in the triennium average ending (TE) 1983-84 to 75.62% in TE 1995-96 with an average share of 67.5% for the period 1981-82 to 2000-01 and the rest goes to the fertilizer industry.
More than 30% items subsidized by government goes in to black market; food items under PDS & chemical fertilizers. As per my proposal fertilizer subsidy directly given to farmers. This is under implementation and central government so far saved around one lakh crores. However this has to be implemented in all the states in India. At present the fertilizer purchased in black market goes to manufacturers of illicit liquor and fish/prawns ponds.
In Andhra Pradesh water-rich districts of East and West Godavari, Krishna and Nellore farmers declared crop holiday in three lakh hectares. They expressed that national food security is not important to them but it is the farmers’ financial security important. Overflow stocks from the Rabi crop, nobody there to lift neither these stocks nor the farmers getting minimum support price but government is helping millers-business lobby to export rice and amass wealth at the cost of farmers. In Telangana, the state government declared crop holiday for Rabi paddy cultivation. Some suggestions:
Firstly, provide input subsidies directly to farmers or farmers’ co-operatives instead directly to industry that saves the cost of black market by around 30%; Secondly, grains of dry-land crops that provide healthy food must also find place in subsidized sale under PDS system – only rice & wheat are the major beneficiaries, which is unhealthy food – Food and Nutrition Security Bill of 2013 included Sorghum, Pearl Millets, Finger Millet at Rs. 1 a Kg [wheat at Rs. 2 a Kg and Rice at Rs. 3 a kg] – on our proposal, however, the state governments are not implementing this as part of political game; Thirdly, Government must initiate action at war-footing to bring 100% cultivated area under canal irrigation – at present this is only 20% of the cultivated area & another 20% is under groundwater based irrigation, which is rapidly depleting and proportionately increasing power consumption to extract that water – though lakhs of crores are invested in irrigation projects by state governments but moving at snails speed due to corruption at political level; Fourthly, encourage farmers co-operatives – at present man-hours wasted by individual farmers to procure the basic needs is too large, natural resources are not properly utilized, sale of adulterated seeds, more particularly GM seeds & fertilizers are rampant; with the co-operative farming majority of them could be addressed and improve the economy of the farmers; Fifthly, improve the storage facilities & timely transport facilities – at present around 50% of the total production is damaged/rotten and illegally exported by middlemen due to non-availability of these facilities, that means it is nothing but we in reality achieving production at 50% level of normal production level effectively, which is still lower than research station results. This level of production we can easily achieve under organic farming by increasing area under irrigation at cheaper rate.. To achieve this following also must be attended.
Under Food Corporation of India, food is rotting in the godowns; Government must encourage adapting traditional farming systems centered approach with organic inputs (that includes animal husbandry) in place of crop centered chemical input technology approach; Government must collect traditional inventions of progressive farmers and strengthen these with research and then transfer to farmers with which we can bring down chemical input use and thus air, water, soil & food pollution and achieve good quality better yields/food; Government must establish commodity boards/extension services & strengthen government based seed development corporations – at present these are infested with private sector seed companies -- Government must strengthen the NPM in place of chemical pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. Most important issue to be tackled is: UN Agencies and world Bank must look at controlling MNCs thereby we can bring down unhealthy food, destruction of soil, cost of production, etc.
Selected References
- Reddy, S.J., (1993): Agroclimatic/Agrometeorological Techniques: As Applicable to Dry-land Agriculture in Developing Countries. www.scribd.com/Google Books, 205p. [Book Review: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 67: 325-27, 1994].
- Reddy, S.J., (2000): Andhra Pradesh Agriculture: Scenario of the last four decades. 104p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2008): Climate Change: Myths & Realities. www.scribd.com/Google Books, 176p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2009): Climate Change: Myths and Realities. A.P. Akadami of Science, Hyderabad, 13 [1-4] Jan-Dec.:163-175.
- Reddy, S.J., (2016): Irrigation and irrigation Projects in India [Tribunalas, Disputes and water Wars Perspective]. BS Publications, Hyderabad, 132p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2017): Climate Change and its Impacts: Ground Realities. BS Publications, Hyderabad, India, 276p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2019a): Workable Green Revolution: Agriculture in the perspective of Climate Change. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 221p
- Reddy, S.J., (2019b): Agroclimatic/Agrometeorological Techniques: As applicable to Dry-land Agriculture in Developing Countries [2nd Edition]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 372p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2019c): Water Resources Availability over India. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 224p.
- Reddy, S.J., (2023): Impact of Climate Change on Climate and Water Resources and Thus on Agriculture in India. C.B-6. Pande et al. (eds.), Climate Change Impacts in India, Earth and Environmental Sciences Library, https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-3.031-42056-6., pp.115-153.
Dr. Sazzala Jeevananda Reddy
Formerly Chief Technical Advisor – WMO/UN & Expert – FAO/UN
Fellow, Telangana Academy of Sciences [Founder Member]
Convenor, Forum for a Sustainable Enviroment
Dr. Dr. Sazzala Jeevananda Reddy