Indian agriculture being pushed to a crisis The wheat, cereal and sugar import plan exposes the UPA ploy

The new agriculture year is to commence from July 1 with the mandated target of producing 230 million tonnes of foodgrains during the year?mandated by the tenth five year document?there is widespread debate in the country whether India should have gone for importing 3.50 million tonnes of wheat or not. There is opposition not only from the grain- trading lobby, but also from proud citizens of India who feel it is direct assault on the dignity of Indian agriculture which has served the country so well since the advent of the green revolution in 1968.

Are we then to continue with the import of foodgrains from now on because Indian agriculture is incapable of feeding the population, not more than 110 crore strong, and go back to the ?ship-to-mouth? existence?

We may quote here a few paragraphs from the speech delivered by Mr. Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of Agriculture, at the national seminar on ?emerging issue in food management? delivered on June 2 in the Pusa agricultural complex, New Delhi. He also asks the country to ponder if we accept, in a gloabalised world, the import-export regime even with regard to foodgrains. Here we go:

?The situation during the current year, especially in the case of wheat, has attracted the attention of almost everyone in the country, be it policymakers, farmers, traders, and all professionals. If we really look at a medium-term scenario of demand and supply of foodgrains, you may observe that we have large surplus production in the country year after year, although these surpluses have been declining during the last five to six years. The surplus supplies are of more than 20 million tonnes in the country. The country has been a net exporter of foodgrains continuously since 1994-95. The net exports have been in the range of 1.5 million to 8.5 million tonnes during this period. In other words, the average export of foodgrains has been of the order of 4 million tonnes per annum.

?In the case of wheat, we need to go into the genesis of the current situation. Although the average production during 1996-97 to 2000-01 was about 70.7 million tonnes, the net exports during this period were of the order of about 2.3 million tonnes. On the other hand, during the subsequent five years, i.e. 2001-02 to 2005-06, the average production per annum has remained around the same level of 70.05 million tonnes, but the net exports were about 13.4 million tonnes. This has brought down the per capita next availability of wheat in the country. Therefore, this particular issue of import and export of foodgrains and that of wheat in particular, must be related to the domestic production and demand in a medium term perspective.

?In the context of food security in the country; a particular view that we need to freely import and export foodgrains depending on the demand and supply situation is fast gaining ground. While theoretically this is a rational suggestion in a liberalised and open global economy, we should also assess whether there is enough availability of foodgrains, viz., wheat, rice and pulses, for trade in the world market. We know that in the world market there is a limited availability of rice. Similarly, in the recently floated tenders for wheat import of 3 million tonnes, the response received has been much less than the expectation. In the case of pulses also, there are only 3-4 countries in the world that have some capacity to produce surplus. Therefore, we need to recognise these constraints and plan for the production within the country. This approach needs to be seriously deliberated since food security is an important determinant of national security in a country of our size.?

In view of these admissions by the Minister of Agriculture, it is absolutely clear that we are in for a trouble if we do not take agriculture more seriously and the Centre, time and again, casting away its responsibilities by pointing out that ?agriculture is a state subject under the Constitution?. Almost every answer to a question in the two Houses of Parliament is preceded by what may be called the ?statutory warning? that ?agriculture is a state subject?. All agriculture ministers at the Centre should be thankful to the Members because they do not retort by saying. Then why are you interfering in the affairs of the states by implementing and controlling most programmes of agriculture development in the country? They cannot because the purse strings belong to the Centre and the states remain hopelessly dependent upon the Union Government for not only finance but also technical support. One feels it is time that this farce of agriculture being a state subject should be ended.

One positive factor in favour of agriculture this year that most of the 76 large reservoirs in the country, monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC), are 80 per cent or more full even after the scorching summer. Rains are coming, somewhat indifferently now, but even if they are less than normal, irrigated areas will not be much affected. The main question will be with regard to the rain-fed areas, which accounts for about 60 per cent of net cultivable areas of 141-142 million hectares.

One hopes that the National Rainfed Agriculture Authority, recently set up by the Union Government, will start paying attention to rain-fed agriculture from this year itself.

Although this year, it is estimated that a total of 20 million tonnes of nitrogenous, phosphatic and potash fertilizers will be utilized, this quantity is too meager for a country of India'ssize. Organic farming too should be encouraged, particularly if it is done in collaboration with agriculture with chemical fertilizers.

Lastly, extension. This vital aspect of agriculture is in total disarray with extension personnel rarely leaving their desks for the fields of farmers. We have been told that the Agricultural Technology Management Authority, which will take up the work of extension, has started functioning in nearly 25 districts of the country. We have yet to be apprised about their effectiveness.