‘No short change for farm sector, no short-change for the farmer’
The son of a farmer would always commit himself to the truth, says Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The son of a farmer would always commit himself to the truth, says Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The area covered under wheat has increased to 293.11 lakh hectares (ha) compared to 284.17 lakh ha during the corresponding period of last year.
Regular interactions with experienced organic farmers encouraged me to start organic farming in my village Moutorh, Purulia, West Bengal because organic products are often appraised for their benefits to health and the environment.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, on Friday, emphasised the need to promote natural farming practices. He said that the Central government was considering offering subsidies to encourage natural farming methods.
The plight of marginal farmers in India is an urgent issue that demands immediate attention. These farmers, who own or lease less than one hectare of land, represent over 65 per cent of the farming community.
As the number of food consumers was much larger than the number of corn farmers, Mexico’s government decided in favour of joining NAFTA. Soon over a million farmers were driven off their land and the rush of displaced farmers to cities also led to fall in industrial wages. What was worse, even promises made regarding cheaper food to consumers were not fulfilled. Instead of declining, the price of staple food increased steeply.
Studies indicate that soil in tropical regions has a poorer Carbon retention as compared to the temperate region. Stubble burning, scientifically, adds to this carbon content, but results in increased air pollution in the atmosphere.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister said, "We should remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi Ji who mentioned, 'jahan shoshan hoga, wahan poshan nahi hoga'. Therefore, we are here to reduce the decades-long burden on our 'annadatas'."
A state government official said though the agricultural climate of the state is suitable for production of cash crops, yet crop production in several areas have been affected by stray and wild animals with some farmers even stopping farming activities.
To add value to foodstuffs, corporates engaged in farming go in for food processing in a large way, which is at the expense of public health, because consumption of calorie-dense processed food, often leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Statistics show that spending on health has gone up gone from 5 per cent to 16 per cent of national income in the USA in the last 70 years, the period in which the country switched over to industrial farming
