Nagpur: In the Budget speech of 2019, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had made a push for zero budget farming, calling it a means to tackle the country’s agrarian problems. This year too, farm activists and experts are hoping for a similar approach for easing the farm distress.
Amravati’s Subhash Palekar, proponent of zero budget farming who has christened the method after his own name, says a lot of planning took place in the last one year. He hopes for some implementation to happen now. Not much could happen on the ground as it takes time for a large-scale conversion to an altogether new system, he says. Palekar hopes that some measures on zero budget may be announced on Saturday.
“The agricultural practice that I have been propagating does not need any budgetary allocation. Instead, the government needs to carry out promotional activities and all that a farmer needs to have is one cow of indigenous breed,” Palekar told TOI.
As Palekar hopes for some measures to be announced on what he calls as Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), other farm activists have demanded a bailout package for the sector. There have been demands for loan waiver schemes too.
“The prime objective is to ensure cash flow into the rural economy leaving disposable income in the hands of farmers. The farmers’ income also needs to match the rising living standards. Even the wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) have gone up leaving more money in the hands of farm hands. The rates of agricultural produce too need to go up,” said Vijay Jawandhia, a veteran Shetkari Sanghatana activist.
Kishore Tiwari, chairman of Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Misison (VNSSM), said the government should declare a bailout package of Rs3 lakh crore, which can include a loan waiver plan too. VNSSM is Maharashtra government’s thinktank on farm crisis.
He also called for changes in the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme. “The area for calculating losses should be brought down to an individual farm holding as against a block of villages or even a single village. At present, insurance companies grant compensation only if the losses are recorded in a block which includes 20 villages. This leaves many without any compensation,” said Tiwari.
Vijay Ingle, an award winning farmer from Akola district, says the government should increase subsidy for drip irrigation equipment. Referring to herbicide tolerant cotton seeds, he also demanded that government liberalize use of technology.
Meanwhile, Palekar said he had held meetings with Niti Aayog throughout the year. “The last meeting was held three months ago. I am not sure, but certainly hope that the government would come up with some more measures this time. I feel both chemical and organic farming are hazardous,” he says.
Amravati’s Subhash Palekar, proponent of zero budget farming who has christened the method after his own name, says a lot of planning took place in the last one year. He hopes for some implementation to happen now. Not much could happen on the ground as it takes time for a large-scale conversion to an altogether new system, he says. Palekar hopes that some measures on zero budget may be announced on Saturday.
“The agricultural practice that I have been propagating does not need any budgetary allocation. Instead, the government needs to carry out promotional activities and all that a farmer needs to have is one cow of indigenous breed,” Palekar told TOI.
As Palekar hopes for some measures to be announced on what he calls as Subhash Palekar Natural Farming (SPNF), other farm activists have demanded a bailout package for the sector. There have been demands for loan waiver schemes too.
“The prime objective is to ensure cash flow into the rural economy leaving disposable income in the hands of farmers. The farmers’ income also needs to match the rising living standards. Even the wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) have gone up leaving more money in the hands of farm hands. The rates of agricultural produce too need to go up,” said Vijay Jawandhia, a veteran Shetkari Sanghatana activist.
Kishore Tiwari, chairman of Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Misison (VNSSM), said the government should declare a bailout package of Rs3 lakh crore, which can include a loan waiver plan too. VNSSM is Maharashtra government’s thinktank on farm crisis.
He also called for changes in the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme. “The area for calculating losses should be brought down to an individual farm holding as against a block of villages or even a single village. At present, insurance companies grant compensation only if the losses are recorded in a block which includes 20 villages. This leaves many without any compensation,” said Tiwari.
Vijay Ingle, an award winning farmer from Akola district, says the government should increase subsidy for drip irrigation equipment. Referring to herbicide tolerant cotton seeds, he also demanded that government liberalize use of technology.
Meanwhile, Palekar said he had held meetings with Niti Aayog throughout the year. “The last meeting was held three months ago. I am not sure, but certainly hope that the government would come up with some more measures this time. I feel both chemical and organic farming are hazardous,” he says.