Farmers, experts come together to come up with solutions for agrarian distress

New Delhi

Price risk insurance, a legal guarantee of the minimum support price [MSP] and the need to innovate for climate-resilient agriculture were some of the biggest takeaways from a seminar which was organised in the national capital to pitch for ideas which can help abate the agrarian crisis in the country.

The three-day long seminar was titled as Citizen Jury of Farmers and commenced on August 15 and concluded on August 17. It was organised by Socratus Foundation for Collective Wisdom, a Bengaluru-based think tank which invited 20 experts from 14 states and 20 farmers from 20 states. The seminar involved discussions and a final verdict on the most significant issues that ail the Indian farming sector.

"The jury listened to the opinions of all the experts and discussed them among themselves. They then collectively chose the issues they found to be most important and put their suggestions in front of everyone," the think tank said in a statement.

The experts included Yogendra Yadav, the founder of the Swaraj India party, Kavita Kuruganti from Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture, Vandana Prasad, a representative from the Public Health Resource Network, Harvir Singh, editor in chief of the Rural Voice, Anil Ghanawat from the Swatantra Bharat Party, and Sekhar C.S.C. professor, Institute of Economic Growth.

"A farmer in India is always at the mercy on a host of factors he/she has no control on. Till the time the produce is harvested, the farmer is dependent on natural factors like rain, temperature and inclement weather. Again, when the product is taken to the market, he is at the mercy of market conditions which fluctuate unpredictably," Sekhar C.S.C told Gaon Connection on the sidelines of the seminar.

"As a result, farming in India is highly unviable. According to a recent study published in the Economic and Political Weekly, nearly 75 to 80 per cent of the farmers in India are living below the poverty line," he added.

On the concluding day of the seminar, the jury zoomed in on the key issues that contribute to the farm crisis in India

In its official statement, the think tank stated that landless farmers which form a major chunk of the Indian agrarian scene, are deprived of any identity or benefits of being a farmer.

"There is a need for new ideas on how tenant farmers can be recognised and connected to government benefits," it said.

At the seminar, Bandana Ruidas, a farmer from Jharkhand demanded equal labour pay for women in farming occupations. "Women also contribute equal if not more labour in farming but for landless farm labourers, daily wages differ between men and women. Men are paid more," she complained.

'Climate change biggest challenge of our times'

The jury at the seminar noted that farmers and governments should both try to innovate to adapt to climate change as it is one of the most serious issues facing Indian agriculture.

"Farmers should be given carbon credits for agroforestry and other carbon-friendly farming practices. On technology and marketing, the government needs to increase training, research and infrastructure. In addition, farmers need subsidies on machines and the subsidy process needs to be simplified and improved," the jury of experts noted.

Also, the jury mentioned that horticultural crops and the use of forest produce should be encouraged with a changing climate.

"Local vegetables and fruits should be given in anganwadis and mid-day meals which will improve the nutrition and farmer incomes. Small farmer industries should be encouraged at block levels where farmers can make jams, juices, pickles etc. For this, concessional loans should be provided," the experts advised.

'Crop insurance policies need more transparency'

Experts also weighed in on the available crop insurance mechanisms in the country and opined that a new insurance called 'Price Risk Insurance' should be initiated for the farmers who regularly suffer due to volatile markets.

"System Transparency should be increased. A new type of insurance - price risk insurance should be started. Current insurance should cover personal insurance of the farmer as well. With the increasing impact of climate change, the scope of insurance coverage needs to be expanded," the jury commented.

"A lot needs to be done to increase transparency in the system. Information such as MoUs [memorandum of understandings] between companies and the government, government premiums, crop cutting data should be made public. And farmers should be given a digital and paper copy of their policy which is not done currently," they added.

Legal guarantee of MSP

Jury also asked for a legal guarantee of the MSP. However, they said that it should be linked to India's requirements, nutritional needs and environment.

"India should have an Area Production Plan which is made by consultation with district, state and national level committees which consider the district's PDS [public distribution system] needs and local ecology," they said.

The jury also suggested that the list should change every year so that crop diversity and rotation is encouraged.

"Jury recognizes that the government cannot buy all the produce so the government should use different means like Price Deficiency Payment, import - export policy and commodity exchanges to ensure MSP for farmers. And private buyers should be penalized for buying below MSP," it added.