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| COVID-19: FARMERS’ AS FRONT LINE WARRIORS | | | Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. D. Namgyal
The world presently is grappling with an unprecedented crisis triggered by a deadly virus causing a highly infectious and fatal disease called abbreviated as COVID-19. This virus has already killed more than three lakh peoples in the world. More than fifty lakh peoples in the world are corona positive. Countries like United States, Russia, Spain, Italy and Germany have been helplessly witnessing the rising incidence of deaths of its citizens and increasing no. of corona positive cases in their countries. India too is a victim of this pandemic. The timely measures like social distancing and subsequent lockdowns have to a large extent contained the spread of the virus in the country and checked the no. of fatalities resulting from it. This could not have been possible without the support of the front line warriors who worked day and night without caring for their lives so that the nation is saved. Some of these front line warriors also lost their lives as they got infected with this deadly virus while coming in contact with the infected persons. These front line warriors include the doctors, health workers, the medical practitioners, the policemen, the delivery boys, the bank employees and many others.
Along with these, the role of farmers is as crucial as that of other front line warriors. COVID-19 may go down as India’s first ever natural disaster not to register widespread starvation in terms of a total collapse in food consumption levels. About three million people perished in the Great Bengal Famine of 1943. The 1966-67 Bihar famine led to the state’s daily per capita calorie intake dropping from 2,200 to nearly 1,200 in several regions. Maharashtra’s drought of 1972-73 caused an estimated 1, 33, 000-plus excess deaths. Although, the novel corona virus pandemic and the ensuing lockdown has a far wider nationwide impact, Yet it hasn’t produced the severe food deprivation, soaring prices and hoarding that defined the previous great calamities. There have been some reports of stranded migrant workers not getting either cooked food or dry rations, but these are largely stories of localized administrative mismanagement and neglect. These cannot be compared to the general lack of access to food as seen in past catastrophes.
This has been made possible because of our farming community. Undeterred by the risk due to covid-19, the farming community in the country kept on toiling day and night to keep millions of hearths burning across the country to feed a mammoth population of more than 1.3 billion. The farming community soldiered on bravely and the country saw an estimated record production of 291.95 million tonnes of food grains in the current year. This the farmers of the country has achieved when even the United Nations Food body, the Food and Agriculture
organization (FAO) had warned of a likelihood of global food shortages due to protectionist measures in the wake of the pandemic. The COVID-19 struck the country at a time when the time was ripe for harvest of wheat crop all over the country. The government exempted agricultural activities from the lockdown, harvesting operations and supply of essential items continued on a war footing. The prime minister of the country announced special packages for the farming community. The government allowed interstate and intrastate movement of farm machinery, payment of Rs 2,000 to farmers as the first installment under PM KISAN, enhanced the wages from Rs 182 to Rs 202 per day under the MGNREGA scheme and the three-month moratorium on agricultural term-loans. With this the government is all set to amend the Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realization for farmers which will result in the deregulation of prices for foodstuffs including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato. To provide adequate choices to farmer to sell produce at an attractive price and for barrier-free interstate trade, a new central law will be formulated. It will also set up the framework for e-trading of agriculture produce. A scheme with a budget of rupees 10,000 crore for the formalization of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE) under ‘Vocal for Local with Global outreach’ vision as shown by the prime minister which will help 2 lakh MFEs attain technical up-gradation, FSSAI food standards, build brands and marketing.
The Agri Infrastructure Fund of one lakh crore for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers has also been kept the prime minister’s package. A budget of rupees 20,000 crore for fishermen through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries and to fill critical gaps in the fisheries value chain has been earmarked. An amount of rupees 13,343 crores has been reserved for National Animal Disease Control Programme for foot and mouth disease (FMD) and brucellosis launched. It will help in 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population (total 53 crore animals). An animal husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund worth Rs 15,000 crore will be set up with the aim to support private investment in dairy processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure. Under this fund incentives will be given for establishing plants for export of niche dairy products. For Promotion of herbal cultivation a fund of Rs 4,000 crore to cover 10, 00, 000 hectare land under herbal cultivation in the next two years has been allocated. It is expected to lead to income generation of rupees 5,000 crore. The programme hopes to create a network of regional market places for medicinal plants. National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) will bring 800-hectare area by developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of Ganga. To revive beekeeping a sum of rupees 500 crores have been allocated for
Infrastructure development related to integrated beekeeping development centres, collection, marketing and storage centres, post harvest & value addition facilities etc. This will lead to a likely increase in income for 2 lakh beekeepers and quality honey to consumers. A sum of rupees 500 crore have been kept for ‘Operation Green’ to prevent distress sale leading to a reduction in the price of perishable fruits and vegetables at the farm level. All fruits and vegetables will be covered under this initiative for the next six months. It includes 50 % subsidy on transportation from surplus to deficient markets and 50 % subsidy on storage, including cold storages. This will help in better price realization to farmers, reduced wastages and affordability of products for consumers.
These measures are expected to provide much-needed relief to the farming community to a considerable extent. Many state governments have also announced various relief measures for the farming community in the wake of this pandemic. The government of Karnataka announced a compensation of Rs 5000 to every maize farmer in the state who suffered losses due to the breakdown in the procurement process. The chief minister said that a sum of rupees 5000 will be given to each of the 10 lakh maize farmers in the state at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Many state governments have also brought in structural reforms much to the advantage of the farming community. The state governments have given the farmers choice to sell their produce at the APMC yard or to private players at a price that farmers set. Madhya Pradesh has announced setting up of private mandis for the farmers to sell their produce. More markets in the country have been linked with the government’s prestigious e-NAM project. |
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