Expressing concern over continued crop loss and farmers’ suicide, the Odisha Krushak Mahasangha (OKM) has suggested to the State Government some longstanding measurers for economic and social development of the peasants.
“About 67 per cent of the State’s population depends on agriculture for earning livelihoods. When they face wrath of natural calamities almost every year, the Government’s lackadaisical approach has always added to their woes. Some proactive measures need to be taken to resolve their problems in the long run,” said Mahasangha president Bibhudhendra Pratap Das I a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik recently.
He suggested that the Government should make every revenue village as a unit for crop insurance and, to provide insurance cover to each farmer’s family, the Government should collect a marginal amount of premium along with land revenue. With this, there should be an appropriate law for providing compensation to sharecropper in case of crop loss.
The cultivators should be provided crop loans at one per cent interest rate through a special bank which needs to be set up by the Government. Unemployed youths need to be encouraged to set up food processing units and small scale agro industries so that a good market for farmers can be created. The Government should provide rent-free land and loans at one per cent interest rate for setting up of these units, he suggested.
Besides, farmers should be encouraged to use organic fertiliser and pesticide so that fertility of land would increase over the years. They should be encouraged the Sidhana method of paddy cultivation, which need only 40 per cent water, so that drought situation can be combated.
Stating that 60 per cent of water flow has been decreased in rivers, Das suggested that massive tree plantation programmes should be undertaken though private agencies keeping bank guarantees from them. Construction of check dam, WHS and renovation of irrigation tanks should be undertaken with MGNREGS fund support.
lastly, he suggested that lifetime should be fixed for all irrigation projects. If they are damaged before time, money should be recovered from contractors and for this bank guarantees need to be taken from them before project works.