The Government of Odisha presented a separate Budget on agriculture of Rs10, 903.62 crore for the financial year 2015-2016 in the State Assembly.
Agriculture being a joint responsibility of the Centre and the State, the Central Government also allocated a substantial amount for agriculture development and implementing a host of schemes for different types of farmers in its Budget.
Both the agriculture budgets are focused more on irrigation, credit, crop insurance, input subsidy and welfare of farmers, specially the life insurance scheme. It is revealed that a lion share of the input subsidy and credit with lower interest goes to land owning big farmers and agribusiness industries while the small producers are left with a meagre share.
The people in agriculture are producers. A big share of our food production comes from small producers and it maintains food security as well contributes to employment of a vast majority of our workforce. The globalisation process with privatization and liberalisation has impacted the small producers in agriculture. The developing countries such as India and backward States like Odisha having a majority of small producers have been facing the heat to cope with transition from feudal to capitalist mode of production. The structural changes taking place in agrarian economy have wider impact over people in agriculture. The State has to protect the small producers from natural calamities such as drought and market forces by providing irrigation, compensation for crop loss, credit, input subsidy and also to ensure social security for them as they are deprived of getting their due share like the labourers of organised sector.
The welfare and social security of people engaged in firming is paramount to boost the production because ill health and burden of social spending of the family keeps the farmers in distress which impacted over production as the mental and physical health of the farmers has wider impact on their working condition. The agriculture sector has not upgraded the skill of farmers with application of modern technology and other related facilities.
In the recent farmers suicide cases in different parts of the State, it is found that majority of the farmer’s families have no social security coverage. Though there are schemes but many well-intended programmes have not reached to the different categories of farmers due to lack of political commitment from top to bottom and poor governance. It is being observed that the block and Panchayat level functionaries of Government are not interacting with people in village and a very poor monitoring mechanism at district and State levels has been weakening the implementation process. There has been lack of information and transparency and absence of awareness and organisation of people in agriculture as an economic interest group. It has been observed in Odisha that all the farmers are not a homogeneous community in many respects due to our socio-economic system, geographical condition and local specific situation. There are more vulnerable farmers with historical disabilities such as landless sharecroppers, farmers with small holding, women, Dalit and tribals who are prone to varieties of socio-economic issues. They do not have equal access to land, credit, marketing of their product and Government schemes and programmes due to illiteracy, social barrier and poor political affiliations. The land owning farmers, landless sharecroppers and agriculture labourers have no collective bargaining power because of lack of homogeneous interest though all are dependent on agriculture sector.
The people engaged in agriculture sector are mostly earning very less and without a regular income in comparison to other sectors. They have very minimal saving habit and usually they are left with almost no surplus to save to meet the unseen expenses such as health problem of the whole family. There has been insufficient and poor health and educational infrastructure in rural areas. For any major diseases, they travel to cities for healthcare which is too costly on their part.
The privatization of healthcare facilities with increasing cost of services fee and medicines has been an added burden to the misery of poor producers who are depending on their own production for an income. Tribal farmers in interior parts are the worst sufferers in this situation. The income earned by a farmer is not enough to manage his/her family and especially during a time of huge crop loss it has been difficult for him to meet the education and health expenses of the family. So the social security of the farmers has to be taken care of by the State. The students of farming families in rural areas are deprived of getting quality education in the absence of adequate State investment and the privatization of education has made education expensive. It is good that the State Government has declared to exempt the tuition fee of students in drought hit areas of the State. The students of farmers’ families should be provided monthly financial support to meet the basic minimum educational expenses such as books, stationery and school dress along with mid day meal. It will reduce the burden of educational expenses of the children in family and pave the way for a qualitative improvement in farmers’ family.
The State Government report says there are 55 lakh farmers who have been covered under the Biju Krushak Kalyana Yojana (BKKY) out of which 84,000 families have benefited with a claim of Rs 45 crore having been settled. It shows that a very insignificant portion of farmers has been covered and majority of the farmers have been left out. The Government should seriously implement the scheme covering all households engaged in agriculture, especially in inaccessible tribal areas, among Adivasi farmers. The Aam Admi Bima Yojana of lIC lunched in 2013 has identified about 45 occupational groups including agriculturists which provide life insurance coverage to people below poverty line. This insurance coverage should include a major section of rural poor engaged in agriculture but in spite of Government involvement, this has not reached to the poorest in agriculture sector.
The other important social security measures are housing, sanitation, maternity care, old age pension for farmers and agricultural workers. The rural housing scheme, Indira Awas Yojana and State Government housing schemes should cover the people in agriculture. The Government should have a low cost housing and sanitation scheme for the farmers as well. The elderly people in family need special care for which old age pension for the elders is a must which can reduce the burden of the farmers’ families. The State of Kerala has introduced pension for farmers after sixty years of age since 1980 and specially agriculture pension scheme for small and marginal farmers in 2012. World wide it has been proved that a comprehensive family based social security measures by State has an important role in bringing change in the quality of life of the families in agriculture which will have impact over agriculture sector and rural economy for an inclusive growth. It is high time that the State should involve all actors such as Government officials, PRI, CSOs and farmer and agricultural labour organisations for mobilisation of farmers, agricultural workers in implementing the schemes and programmes.
(Email: manasbbsr15@gmail.com Mob -9437060797)