Thiruvananthapuram: India is the only country where farmers commit suicide though it became self-sufficient in foodgrain production in 1977, according to agriculture expert R. Haley. He has urged agriculture minister V.S. Sunil Kumar to form the long-overdue farmers’ welfare board.
Mr Haley, former agriculture director, had spoken at the first state-level workshop for 1,200 agricultural officers held on Tuesday.
He told Mr Sunil Kumar that the pending Bill should be discussed in detail by experts in all sectors. The Bill will be more far-reaching than the Land Reforms Bill of 1957, he said. By forming the board, the state can increase food production and attract youth to farming.
The previous UDF government had formed a seven-member sub-committee comprising Chittur MLA K. Krishnankutty as its chairman and Mr Haley as member for the draft agricultural development policy. Its recommendation was to form a farmers’ welfare board. The sub-committee had come out with a draft agriculture development policy during 2013 and '25 lakh was earmarked in the successive budgets. But since the Bill was not framed, the allocated money could not be utilised.
“Agriculture production and farmers welfare are like two sides of the coin,” said Mr Haley, who was instrumental in setting up the Farm Information Bureau.
He recalled that India’s second prime minister Lal Bahudur Shastri had raised the slogan, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ in 1965 to increase foodgrain production to reduce the dependence on import. But despite India becoming a ‘green power,’ farmers continue to commit suicide, he lamented.
“Health sector is getting strengthened day by day. But the Krishi Bhavans have not achieved their true potential. If the agriculture ministry ignores them, the Karshaka Sabhas announced by Sunil Kumar will boomerang,” added Mr Haley.
The minister on Tuesday had announced to organise ward-wise Karshaka Sabhas in all panchayats to achieve the 2021 targets by roping in the farmers in the state.
