Agriculture is one sector of the GDP which is often criticized for dragging the Indian growth story. It is still the biggest employment sector, offering jobs to half the Indian population, though the numbers are far reducing now.Not too many years back, agriculture or farming was the main employment skill in India. My own family, 2 generations back are farmers. Rices, pulses , spices and even coffee, sugar & jaggery were farmed and after storing for the family, surplus was sold in the market. In my childhood days, I don’t remember any surplus being there, farm output was largely for family use as the next generation ( my parents) moved out to earn a living from industries. Nowadays there is no farming as the present generation ( me & my siblings) are completely away from the family tradition or the farm land.
In short, in 3 generations, there has been a complete shift from selling farm products to buying from supermarkets. This is the case in many other families too, some in 2 and others in 4 generations.
This is as I see it the exodus from agriculture.
Recently there was a declaration by the PM on reducing food prices and being self sufficient, but I wonder how that’s possible. There is a whole rural – urban shift happening, farm land is being sold for commercial purpose and the young don’t think that farming is a viable option, so where is the output going to come from ?
I think Indian agriculture has remained static since 1970’s when the Green revolution came to an end. There was a brief stint of revolution with the e-choupal, agri retail, development focus of Tier III cities etc. Below are few steps which could reverse this exodus
- Provide Infrastructure for transporting farm produce to the consumer ( fast & preserve quality) – like refrigerated trucks, cold storage system etc.
- Clarity in prices - There must be more systems for hedging like tea futures, pepper, cotton, and most cash crops should be traded like a commodity market.
- Irrigation – Linking of river is a much touted project, yet to see the light of the day in many states. In Kerala a state which receives plentiful rainfall, water flows into the Arabian Sea in a maximum of 48 hours ( 2 days), and many districts lack fresh water.
- Educate people in the different facets of farming , for eg : organic farming, cash crops, animal, horticulture, orchid farms, fishes and so on.. Traditionally people stick to high labor, low profit areas like rice, wheat depending on the region.
- Bring Globalization to rural India, through developing source bases for retail giants
Instead of giving away different subsidies, if it can be used for irrigation & Infra support, half the battle in won without any extra costs on the exchequer.
Having said that, both my husband and me like the idea of a rustic life, with farming as the main option, coupled with some eco-tourism aspects. We believe that if done right, and if risks are placed well, then there is a good chance of pulling it off.. But having being used to the glamour & glitz of a bustling metro like Bangalore and the comfort of a salaried bank account, it is not easy to throw it all away...
In short, in 3 generations, there has been a complete shift from selling farm products to buying from supermarkets. This is the case in many other families too, some in 2 and others in 4 generations.
This is as I see it the exodus from agriculture.
Recently there was a declaration by the PM on reducing food prices and being self sufficient, but I wonder how that’s possible. There is a whole rural – urban shift happening, farm land is being sold for commercial purpose and the young don’t think that farming is a viable option, so where is the output going to come from ?
I think Indian agriculture has remained static since 1970’s when the Green revolution came to an end. There was a brief stint of revolution with the e-choupal, agri retail, development focus of Tier III cities etc. Below are few steps which could reverse this exodus
- Provide Infrastructure for transporting farm produce to the consumer ( fast & preserve quality) – like refrigerated trucks, cold storage system etc.
- Clarity in prices - There must be more systems for hedging like tea futures, pepper, cotton, and most cash crops should be traded like a commodity market.
- Irrigation – Linking of river is a much touted project, yet to see the light of the day in many states. In Kerala a state which receives plentiful rainfall, water flows into the Arabian Sea in a maximum of 48 hours ( 2 days), and many districts lack fresh water.
- Educate people in the different facets of farming , for eg : organic farming, cash crops, animal, horticulture, orchid farms, fishes and so on.. Traditionally people stick to high labor, low profit areas like rice, wheat depending on the region.
- Bring Globalization to rural India, through developing source bases for retail giants
Instead of giving away different subsidies, if it can be used for irrigation & Infra support, half the battle in won without any extra costs on the exchequer.
Having said that, both my husband and me like the idea of a rustic life, with farming as the main option, coupled with some eco-tourism aspects. We believe that if done right, and if risks are placed well, then there is a good chance of pulling it off.. But having being used to the glamour & glitz of a bustling metro like Bangalore and the comfort of a salaried bank account, it is not easy to throw it all away...
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