To aid farmers and their already crippling conditions, the Indian government needs to introduce reforms in the agricultural sector. The kind of reforms that have a realistic developmental trajectory but the reality is that our farmers who are displaced from the agricultural sector are getting engaged in other work sectors due to lack of reforms and opportunities in the agricultural field.
The reform program should incorporate localized and farmer-centric support systems with aims of creating the aim of creating an ecosystem that includes disaster compensation and helps in assisting to opt for natural resource management and regeneration and aims at the overall nutritional preservation of the crops and ensures in maintaining a dignified lifestyle for all the farmers who fade into the background including women and tenant farmers.
The pandemic crisis made it worse for the farmers.
According to the 2019-year report by the NCRB, the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of agricultural workers who died by suicide in 2020 was 18%. Landless agricultural laborers who did not benefit from income support schemes such as PM Kisan may have faced higher anguish during the pandemic. The NCRB does not state any special indication or reason for the death of the farmers by suicide. Overall, 10,677 people engaged in the farm sector died by suicide in the year 2020 and these were only the recorded deaths, what is worrisome is that the real number is much higher.
Another issue that is concerning is that agriculture’s share in the Indian economy has progressively declined to less than 15% due to the high growth rate in the industrial and services sectors. The government should include plans to effectively reduce rural poverty through a socially elusive strategy that comprises both agriculture as well as non-farm labor employment. There are also grave regional gaps as the majority of India’s poor mass are in rain-fed areas or the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains. While agricultural growth will in itself provide stability to the Indian economy, there will be the need for additional measures to preserve the agricultural sector and the livelihood of the farmers with additional reforms that pave way for provisions.
