Avoid
Farmers Suicide In Ladakh
By Stanzin Dawa
20 November, 2006
Countercurrents.org
Over the last few years we have
seen the hopes and fears of Government of India to protect the interest
of Indian farmers in the WTO agriculture trade agreement irrespective
of which political party comes in the power. May we know about which
farmers are they talking about? Is it Punjabi, Haryanvi or other agriculturally
rich states, I am very much sure its not for the small farmers as the
Government of India is behaving in the same fashion what United States
and European Union is behaving with the poor and developing countries.
Traditionally in Ladakh,
the staple food is barley and wheat. Ladakhi farmers have for centuries
grown barley and wheat in harmony with the nature, while harvesting
the glacier water in the lap of Himalaya. Ladakh being a part of India
also gets affected with the Government of India's policy both good and
bad one, in fact the good policies in one place may proved to be the
worst in some other place. Like the PDS system in India is based on
the wheat and rice model, which is a boon for Punjabi, Haryanvi and
other agriculturally rich states which produce these crops but the same
policy has not only distorted the local economy and livelihood of Ladakhi
farmers but also developed inferiority complex. As the Government owned
Food Corporation of India procures the wheat and rice from these states
instead of barley and wheat from Ladakhi farmers and dumped in Ladakh,
although rice is not a staple grain of Ladakhi household but today you
will find Ladakhis even eating rice three times a day. It has not only
significantly changed the food habits of people across the region, but
led to a complete neglect of traditionally grown barley and wheat, which
are otherwise extremely nutritious. The government is distorting centuries
old self sustaining agriculture system in Ladakh by making rice and
wheat available in the local market through Government owned FCI stores
are available at a cheaper price than the local barley and wheat in
spite of the distances. The unbalanced and distorted subsidies are responsible
for breaking down of small farmer's economy, livelihood, family and
villages at least its happening in Ladakh. Even in a democratic and
sovereign country like India big fishes are eating the smaller one not
because they are bigger in size, but the government is more concerned
to protect the interest of the big fishes. Is this the vision and wisdom
of the Government for Development? Can we say such policies a progressive
policy or a Policy of Mass Destruction?
We would have appreciated
this transformation if the PDS had been able to actually reduce the
hunger population within the country as a result of its focus on wheat
and rice-based security programs; the recent UN report shows a very
shameful and hazardous picture. Nearly 50 percent of the world's hungry
live in India, a low-income, food-deficit country. Although India has
adequate food to feed its one billion populations, hunger and food insecurity
have increased since the mid 1990s. Who is gaining from the liberalization
and globalization of the economy? I don't see the poor farmers are gaining
anything rather its draining everything they owe even many times their
own lives "Farmers Suicide". Food grain availability in the
rural India has fallen to 152 Kg per capita, 23 Kg less than in the
1990s, creating large scale food insecurity in India's rural areas.
The poorest 30% of Indian households eat less than 1,700 Kilo calories
per day, per person well below the International minimum standard of
2100 Kilo calories per day, even if they spend 70% of their income on
food. The findings of the UN Report on the Right to Food prepared by
Jean Ziegler reveals all these pictures.
The article 47of the Indian
Constitution states that it's the duty of the State to raise the level
of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health.
The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the
standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health
as among its primary duties and, in particular, the State shall endeavour
to bring about prohibition of the consumption except for medicinal purposes
of intoxicating drinks and of drugs which are injurious to health. The
UN Report clearly shows how the state has been drastically failed in
fulfilling this goal of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
of the constitution.
There may be number of causes
for the state's failure but one of the significant causes is Lack of
Government Vision and clarity of intention to benefit the poor and small
farmers like in Ladakh. I am amazed to see the spirit of "No to
Suicide" by the Ladakhi farmers after all these distortions, destructions
and devastations. It may be because Ladakhi farmers are still nurturing
a very strong cooperative culture based on mutual faith and benefits.
I have both hopes and fears with the sudden flush of rupees 260 crores
by the World Bank for the watershed development in Ladakh. Proper implementation
of this project will improve the water harvesting system, bring efficient
technologies; more barren and fallow land can be cultivated in the result
Ladakhi farmers may go for large scale production. In order to meet
their large scale production they will take heavy bank loans but due
to the Government regressive policy they would be living under heavy
debt. If the Government's policy of procurement don't gets reformed
the same World Bank Watershed Development Project will convert into
a Ladakhi Farmers Suicideshed Project, we may see another Vidarbha in
Ladakh. Vision is what; when you can see the invisible, application
of mere human intelligence can make you visualize this vision like a
Ghost.
Developed countries subsidized
the agricultural sector with billion of dollars. It leads to epidemic
overproduction and dumping surpluses in the global markets. Poor and
developing countries like India consistently demanding for reform in
the existing harsh and hostile trade practices that impoverish developing
and poor countries while enriching the developed. Many critics of the
farm subsidies believe that stopping subsidies to farmers in the developed
nations would improve the lives of farmers in developing countries.
While understanding the agriculture policy of India and its affects
over the Ladakh I am little apprehension about the benefits of the shelling
out of the farm subsidies to the small farmers. I think the benefits
would go to the rich farmers and large agro business corporations, as
its benefiting now.
The article 48 of the Indian
Constitution states that the State shall endeavour to organize agriculture
and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular,
take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting
the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.
Neglect and lop sided policy of the state for the agricultural development
in Ladakh reflects the discriminatory attitude of the state. The state
should respect to the principles mentioned in the Constitution not only
in the interest of the majority but should also to accommodate the interest
of the minority and underprivileged who are also the citizens of this
country as much as the rich and powerful of this democratic country.
It's not too late to "Think
Globally and Act Locally", as the ancient wisdom says that "Prevention
is better than Cure". The Government while advocating in the WTO
to protect the due interest of the Indian farmers also need to act locally
by reforming its own distorting policies and programmes, so that farmers
in Ladakh can also be pride of their own production, their own wisdom,
their own economy which is based on organic, cooperation and compassion.
This way we can avoid 'Farmers Suicide' in Ladakh. Let's practice what
we preach.
You can reach the author
at: [email protected]
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