Problems faced by farmers and their possible solutions

PROBLEMS OF FARMERS AND SOLUTIONS :

Some of the main issues and their potential solutions are mentioned as follows. Indian agriculture is tormented by many problems; a number of them square measure natural and a few others square measure manmade.

1. Small and fragmented land-holdings:

The seemingly abundance of net seeded space of 141.2 million hectares and total cropped space of 189.7 million hectares (1999-2000) pales into unimportance after we see that it's divided into economically unviable tiny and scattered holdings.

The average size of holdings was a pair of.28 hectares in 1970-71 that was reduced to 1.82

hectares in 1980-81 and 1.50 hectares in 1995-96. the dimensions of the holdings can more decrease with the infinite Sub-division of the land holdings.

The problem of tiny and fragmented holdings is a lot of serious in densely inhabited and intensively cultivated states like Kerala, West Bengal, state and eastern a part of Uttar Pradesh wherever the typical size of land holdings is a smaller amount than one square measure and in sure elements it's but even 0.5 hectare.

Rajasthan with large sandy stretches and Nagaland with the prevailing ‘Jhoom’ (shifting agriculture) have larger average sized holdings of 4 and 7.15 hectares severally. States having high proportion of internet seeded space like punjab, Haryana, maharashtra, Gujarat, state

and Madhya Pradesh have holding size higher than the national average.

Further it's stunning to notice that an outsized proportion of fifty nine per cent holdings in 1990- ninety one were marginal (below 1 hectare) accounting for fourteen.9 per cent of the entire operated space. Another 19 per cent were tiny holdings (1-2 hectare) absorbing 17.3 per cent of the entire operated space.

Large holdings (above 10 hectare) accounted for under 1.6 per cent of total holdings however coated 17.4 per cent of the operated space (Table 22.1). Hence, there's a good gap between tiny farmers, medium farmers (peasant group) and massive farmers (landlords).

The main reason for this unhappy state of affairs is our inheritance laws. The land happiness to the daddy is equally distributed among his sons.

This distribution of land doesn't entail a set or consolidated one, however its nature is fragmented.

Different tracts have completely different levels of fertility and square measure to be distributed consequently. If there are four tracts that are to be distributed between 2 sons, each the sons can get smaller plots of every land tract. during this means the holdings become smaller and a lot of fragmented with every passing generation.

Sub-division and fragmentation of the holdings is one in all the most causes of our low agricultural productivity and backward state of our agriculture. heaps of your time and labour is wasted in moving seeds, manure, implements and bovine from one piece of land to a different.

Irrigation becomes troublesome on such tiny and fragmented fields. Further, heaps of fertile agricultural land is wasted in providing boundaries. underneath such circumstances, the farmer cannot focus on improvement.

The only answer to the current difficult drawback is that the consolidation of holdings which implies the reallocation of holdings that are fragmented, the creation of farms that comprise just one or many parcels in situ of multitude of patches erstwhile within the possession of every peasant.

But sadly, this set up has not succeeded abundant. though legislation for consolidation of holdings has been enacted by the majority the states, it's been enforced solely in punjab, Haryana and in some elements of Uttar Pradesh.

Consolidation of regarding forty five million holdings has been done until 1990-91 in geographical region, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. the opposite resolution to the current drawback is cooperative farming within which the farmers pool their resources and share the profit.

2. Seeds:

Seed may be a vital and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and sustained growth in agricultural production. Distribution of assured quality seed is as vital because the production of such seeds. sadly, smart quality seeds square measure out of reach of the bulk of farmers, particularly tiny and marginal farmers principally as a result of extortionate costs of higher seeds.

In order to unravel this drawback, the govt of India|Bharat|Asian country|Asian nation} established the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) in 1963 and also the State Farmers Corporation of India (SFCI) in 1969. 13 State Seed companies (SSCs) were conjointly established to enhance the availability of improved seeds to the farmers.

High Yielding selection Programme (HYVP) was launched in 1966-67 as a serious thrust arrange to increase the assembly of food grains within the country.

The Indian seed trade had exhibited spectacular growth within the past and is predicted to supply more potential for growth in agricultural production: The role of seed trade isn't solely to supply adequate amount of quality seeds however conjointly to realize varietal diversity

to suit numerous agro-climatic zones of the country.

The policy statements square measure designed towards creating out there to the Indian farmer, adequate quantities of seed of superior quality at the acceptable time and place and at a reasonable value thus on meet the country’s food and organic process security goals.

Indian seeds programme for the most part adheres to restricted generation system for seed multiplication. The system recognises 3 varieties of generation, specifically stock raiser, foundation and authorized seeds. stock raiser seed is that the basic seed and initial stage in seed production. Foundation seed is that the second stage in seed production chain and is that the offspring of stock raiser seed.

Certified seed is that the final stage in seed production chain and is that the offspring of foundation seed. Production of stock raiser associated foundation seeds and authorized seeds distribution have gone up at an annual average rate of three.4 per cent, 7.5 per cent and nine.5 per cent severally, between 2001-02

respectively, between 2001-02 and 2005-06).

3. Manures, Fertilizers and Biocides:

Indian soils are used for growing crops over thousands of years while not caring abundant for replenishing. This has crystal rectifier to depletion and exhaustion of soils leading to their low productivity. the typical yields of just about all the crops square measure among t e lowest within the world. this can be a heavy drawback which may be resolved by victimization a lot of manures and fertilizers.

Manures and fertilizers play identical role in regard to soils pretty much as good food in regard to body. even as a well-fed body is capable of doing any smart job, a well nourished soil is capable of giving smart yields. it's been calculable that regarding seventy per cent of growth in agricultural production will be attributed to exaggerated fertiliser application.

Thus increase within the consumption of fertilizers may be a measuring system of agricultural prosperity. However, there square measure sensible difficulties in providing comfortable manures and fertilizers all told elements of a rustic of India’s dimensions colonised by poor peasants. trash provides the most effective manure to the soils.

But its use intrinsically is restricted as a result of abundant of trash is employed as room fuel

within the form of dung cakes. Reduction within the provide of fireside wood and increasing demand for fuel within the rural areas because of increase in population has more sophisticated the matter. Chemical fertilizers square measure expensive and square measure typically on the far side the reach of the poor farmers. The fertiliser drawback is, therefore, each acute and complicated.

It has been felt that organic manures square measure essential for keeping the soil in healthiness. The country encompasses a potential of 650 million tonnes of rural and 160 large integer tonnes of urban compost that isn't totally utilised at this time.

The utilization of this potential can solve the dual drawback of disposal of waste and providing manure to the soil.

The government has given high incentive particularly within the type of serious grant for victimization chemical fertilizers. There was much no use of chemical fertilizers at the time of Independence As a results of initiative by the govt and because of modification within the perspective of some progressive farmers, the consumption of fertilizers exaggerated enormously.

In order to keep up the standard of the fertilizers, fifty two fertiliser internal control laboratories are originated in numerous elements of the country. additionally, there's one Central fertiliser internal control and coaching Institute at Faridabad with its 3 regional centres at Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.

Pests, germs and weeds cause serious loss to crops that amounted to regarding one third of the entire field turn out at the time of Independence. Biocides (pesticides, herbicides and weedicides) square measure accustomed save the crops and to avoid losses. The exaggerated use of those inputs has saved a lot of crops, particularly the food crops from superfluous wastage. however indiscriminate use of biocides has resulted in wide unfold environmental pollution that takes its own toll.

4. Irrigation:

Although India is that the second largest irrigated country of the globe once China, solely common fraction of the cropped space is underneath irrigation. Irrigation is that the most vital agricultural input during a tropical monsoon country like India wherever downfall

is unsure, unreliable and erratic India cannot bring home the bacon sustained progress in agriculture unless and till over half the cropped space is brought underneath assured irrigation.

This is testified by the success story of agricultural progress in Haryana and western a part of Uttar Pradesh wherever over half the cropped area is underneath irrigation! massive tracts still expect irrigation to spice up the agricultural output.

However, care should be taken to safeguard against unwell effects of over irrigation particularly in areas irrigated by canals. massive tracts in geographical region and Haryana are rendered useless (areas full of salinity, pH scale and water-logging), because of faulty irrigation. within the Mrs. Gandhi Canal command space conjointly intensive irrigation has crystal rectifier to sharp rise in sub-soil water level,

resulting in water-logging, soil salinity and pH scale.

5. Lack of mechanization :

In spite of the massive scale mechanization of agriculture in some parts of the country, most of the agricultural in some parts of the country, most of the agricultural operations in larger parts are carried on by human hand using simple and traditional tools and implements like wooden plough, sickle, etc.

Little or no use of machines is formed in ploughing, sowing, irrigating, thinning and pruning, weeding, harvesting threshing and transporting the crops. this is often specially the case with small and marginal farmers. It leads to huge wastage of human labour and in low yields per capita labour force.

There is urgent got to mechanise the agricultural operations in order that wastage of labour force is avoided and farming is formed convenient and efficient. Agricultural implements and machinery are an important input for efficient and timely agricultural operations, facilitating multiple cropping and thereby increasing production.

Some progress has been made for mechanising agriculture in India after Independence. Need for mechanisation was specially felt with the arrival of revolution in 1960s. Strategies and programmes are directed towards replacement of traditional and inefficient implements by improved ones, enabling the farmer to have tractors, power tillers, harvesters and other machines.A large industrial base for manufacturing of the agricultural machines has also been developed. Power availability for

completing various agricultural operations has been increased to succeed in A level of 14 kW per hectare in 2003-04 from only 0.3 kW per hectare in 1971-72.

This increase was the results of increasing use of tractor, power tiller and mix harvesters, irrigation pumps and other power operated machines. The share of mechanical and electric power has increased from 40 per cent in 1971 to 84 per cent in 2003-04.

Uttar Pradesh recorded the very best average sales of tractors during the five year period ending 2003-04 and/West Bengal recorded the very best average sales of power tillers during an equivalent period.

Strenuous efforts are being made to encourage the farmers to adopt technically advanced

agricultural equipments so as to hold farm operations timely and precisely and to economise the agricultural production process.

6. Soil erosion:

Large tracts of fertile land suffer from erosion by wind and water. This area must be properly treated and restored to its original fertility.

7. Agricultural Marketing:

Agricultural marketing still continues to be during a bad shape in rural India. within the absence of sound marketing facilities, the farmers need to depend on local traders and middlemen for the disposal of their farm produce which is sold at throw-away price.

In most cases, these farmers are forced, under socio-economic conditions, to hold on distress sale of their produce. In most of small villages, the farmers sell their produce to the cash lender from whom they typically borrow money.

According to an estimate 85 per cent of wheat and 75 per cent of oil seeds in Uttar Pradesh , 90 per cent of Jute in West Bengal , 70 per cent of oilseeds and 35 per cent of cotton in Punjab is sold by farmers within the village itself. Such a situation arises thanks to the lack of the poor farmers to attend for long after harvesting their crops.

In order to satisfy his commitments and pay his debt, the poor farmer is forced to sell the produce at whatever price is obtainable to him. the agricultural Credit Survey Report rightly remarked that the producers generally sell their

produce at an unfavourable place and at an unfavourable time and typically they get unfavourable terms.

In the absence of an organised marketing structure, private traders and middlemen dominate the marketing and trading of agricultural produce. The remuneration of the services provided by the middlemen increases the load on the buyer , although the producer doesn't derive similar benefit.

Many market surveys have revealed that middlemen deduct about 48 per cent of the worth of rice, 52 per cent of the worth of grounduts and 60 per cent of the worth of potatoes offered by consumers.

In order to save lots of the farmer from the clutches of the cash lenders and therefore the

middle men, the govt has begin with regulated markets. These markets generally introduce a system of competitive buying, help in eradicating malpractices, make sure the use of standardised weights and measures and evolve suitable machinery for settlement of disputes thereby ensuring that the producers aren't subjected to exploitation and receive remunerative prices.

8. Inadequate storage facilities:

Storage facilities within the rural areas are either totally absent or grossly inadequate. Under such conditions the farmers are compelled to sell their produce immediately after the harvest at the prevailing market prices which are sure to be low. Such distress sale deprives the farmers of their legitimate income.

The Parse Committee estimated the post-harvest losses at 9.3 per cent of which nearly 6.6 per cent occurred thanks to poor storage conditions alone. Scientific storage is, therefore, very essential to avoid losses and to profit the farmers and therefore the consumers alike.

At present there are number of agencies engaged in warehousing and storage activities. The Food Corporation of India (F.C.I.), the Central Warehousing Corporation (C.W.C.) and State Warehousing Corporation are among the principal agencies engaged during this task. These agencies help in build up buffer stock, which may be utilized in the hour of need. The Central Government is additionally implementing the scheme for establishment of national Grid of Rural Godowns since 1979-80.

This scheme provides storage facilities to the farmers near their fields and especially to the tiny and marginal farmers. The working party

on additional storage facilities in rural areas has recommended a scheme of building a network of Rural Storage Centres to serve the economic interests of the farming community.

9. Inadequate transport:

One of the most handicaps with Indian agriculture is that the lack of cheap and efficient means of transportation. Even at the present there are lakhs of villages which aren't well connected with main roads or with market centres.

Most roads within the rural areas are Kutcha (bullock- cart roads) and become useless within the season . Under these circumstances the farmers cannot carry their produce to the most market and are forced to sell it within the local market at low price. Linking each village by

metalled road may be a gigantic task and it needs huge sums of cash to finish this task.

10. Scarcity of capital:

Agriculture is a crucial industry and like all other industries it also requires capital. The role of capital input is becoming more and more important with the advancement of farm technology. Since the agriculturists’ capital is locked up in his lands and stocks, he's obliged to borrow money for exciting the tempo of agricultural production.

The main suppliers of cash to the farmer are the money-lenders, traders and commission agents who charge high rate of interest and buy the agricultural produce at very low price. All India Rural Credit Survey Committee showed that in 1950-51 the share of cash lenders stood at as

high as 68.6 per cent of the entire rural credit and in 1975-76 their share declined to 43 per cent of the credit needs of the farmers.

This shows that the cash lender is losing ground but remains the only largest contributor of agricultural credit. Rural credit scenario has undergone a big change and institutional agencies like Central Cooperative Banks, State Cooperative Banks, Commercial Banks, Cooperative Credit Agencies and a few Government Agencies are extending loans to farmers on easy terms.

On March 6, 35,000 farmers began a gruelling journey from Nashik to Mumbai. After walking for nearly 140 hours, they reached Mumbai late Sunday night. Their main demands include a complete farm loan waiver, implementation of

the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, transfer of forest land to those that are tilling it for years and minimum support prices.

The Times of India, Mumbai’s largest circulating English daily, chose to run only a photograph of the rally but no story on its front page.

Less Use of recent Farming Equipment

In most areas, to date, farmers follow primitive cultivation methods; traditionally-used plough and relevant native accessories still be farmers’ preference. Despite no shortage of efficient equipment and machinery, there’s little or no use of recent equipment, majorly because most

farmers don’t have lands huge enough to use advanced instruments, heavy machinery.

Over Dependence on Traditional Crops

Indian farmers are growing rice and wheat for hundreds of years now in several regions. The excessive production of the 2 grains, repeatedly cause the storage, sale problems and lack of other farm products.

“India is heading toward a fourth record wheat harvest and near-record rice production for 2020-21” – the US Department of Agriculture. Source

Many farmers depending upon only these traditional crops indicates a scarcity of an efficient , nation-wide agriculture plan.

Poor Storage Facilities

In rural areas, storage facilities are either insufficient or completely absent. In such a situation, farmers usually haven't any other option than selling their produce immediately once it’s ready, at market prices that are often very low. they're distant from a legitimate income.

Transportation Problems

Lack of cheap, efficient means of transportation may be a big problem widely seen within the Indian agriculture sector; small farmers still believe bullock-carts for transporting their produce. Moreover, lakhs of villages are connected with highways and market centres with temporary (kutcha) roads that become muddy and useless in rains. Consequently, farmers cannot deliver their produce to the central market and helplessly sell it within the local market at low costs.

Most of the governments are already taking several measures like scientific farming, improved technology for the nice of the farmers however they're not enough. answer of issues of farmers is that Govt should build a KISAN WELFARE DONATION FUND ... Govt should raise voluntary donation for this fund from general public / charitable organizations ... relying upon the capability of individual one

could offer volunteer donation for the welfare schemes of farmers, the ANN-DATA, the bread-giver of general public.

Govt should do wide message of this welfare fund for the welfare of farmers since the poor public shouldn't be over-burdened by waiving the loan of farmers. Agriculture insurance should be created mandatory for each farmer.

Govt should keep this cash reserved completely for the welfare of farmers. Govt should conjointly make sure that those farmers UN agency square measure very poor and people UN agency very be should get the profit ... It should even be ensured that this cash shouldn't be wasted in corrupt practices and unmerited cases.

Solutions

Govt should raise all the political parties to give for farmers from their party-fund if they're very champion of farmers. There should be competition among political parties that that party donates a lot of to farmers from its party funds during this hour of got to win the votes of farmers and poor public. Poor public won't forget this act of generosity of any party at the time of choice in any election ... and, that party are blessed by the poor public at that point.

If loan of farmers is waived in each state, the poor public are over-burdened ... since no state-govt spends from own pocket ... this quantity are recovered from poor public by imposing taxes or by increasing the costs ... eventually

poor public are the last word sufferer ....... thence the simplest possibility IS DONATION OR CHARITY.

Online registration

Online registration of every and each farmer together with huge and tiny should be created mandatory. Public should grasp who is that the real farmer of what capability. This registration should be clear and should be accessible for general public.

Online registration

Details of each farmer like his financial gain, space of farming in acres, etc necessary details should be out there during this web site. And this web site should get wide message in order

that general os could denote just in case of any objection. many of us who do different jobs get themselves registered to urge the advantages of farmers. This should conjointly contain if any facility has been given to any farmer by any bank, govt or donation. ... om om om ...

Agricultural Credit:

The typical Indian farmer is sort of invariably in debt. The farmer may be a perennial person.

Once the farmer falls, into debt because of failure or low costs of crops or malpractices of moneylenders he will ne'er set out of it. In fact, an oversized a part of the liabilities of farmers is ‘ancestral debt’. Thus, beside his landed property, he passes on his debt to his successors.

There area unit four main causes of rural indebtedness:

(a) Low earning power of the recipient

(b) Use of loan for unproductive functions

(c) The to a fault high rate of interest charged by the moneylenders

(d) The manipulation of accounts by the lenders

(iv) Agricultural Prices:

In order to extend food production, it's necessary to confirm that costs of Food-grains set by the govt from time to time offer

sufficient incentive to farmers in order that they will earn cheap incomes. In India, bumper crop ends up in fall in revenue of farmers.

Need for value stabilisation:

In view of the rising and unsteady trends in agricultural costs, there's would like for stabilisation of costs of agricultural commodities. value fluctuation in any direction might spell disaster since each rising and falling costs have had harmful consequences.

The Agricultural costs Commission (now it's known as Agricultural value and value Commission) takes up variety of aspects of value policy, like minimum support costs (MSP), procural costs (PP), issue costs of food-grains (IPF).

In recent years whereas the rich farmers have benefitted from the hikes in support costs, little and marginal farmers, Janus-faced with difficulties within the matter of credit and getting the proper variety of inputs, are in hassle. Paradoxically 2 years of associate degree upswing in agriculture (1999-2000) have light-emitting diode to a pointy fall in costs and adscititious to the distress of farmers in most elements of the country. At identical time, associate degree unexampled pile-up of procured food-grains control by State agencies totaling over fifty million tones has adscititious to the burdens on the budget.

Given the low off-take within the public distribution system (PDS), accumulation of food-stocks is leading to an oversized burden of food grant. The low off-take in PDS is because of the very fact that market costs area unit lower

and provides area unit plentiful. the govt has conjointly not been able to apply any massive volume of surplus stocks in food-for-Work programmes in drought areas.

Truly speaking, if agriculture is to be a viable long-run economic base for the farming community, it's vital to recognise that the farmers’ interests area unit higher served by a additional economical system of production, instead of high costs. Planners ought to observe of this time.