When the State Government is receiving flak from opposition parties and public over the rising cases of farmers’ suicide, there is a growing demand for implementation of the report of the State Farmers’ Commission (SFC).
The crisis would not have occurred if the Government had implemented the SFC’s recommendations, says Sarvodaya organisation while expressing concern over the plights of debt-ridden farmers who are ending their lives in the wake of crop loss due to drought.
It is incomprehensible as to why no policy has been made by the Government so far to mitigate the woes of farmers, questions Utkal Gandhi Smaraknidhi chairman Prahlad Kumar Sinha, Sarvodaya secretary Dr Biswajit Ray and Sarvodaya Farmer Cell’s Gyanranjan Nayak
It is high time the Government carried out the SFC’s recommendations, the organisation says.
The SFC was constituted by the Government on January 2, 2010 to study the status of agriculture, performance, strength and weakness and assess the condition of different categories of farmers in various agro-climatic zones.
The commission headed by former Chief Secretary SM Patnaik and comprising three experts submitted its report towards the end of 2012 recommending various measures for growth of agriculture, conservation of agro products, marketing and development of agriculture economy.
The SFC has clearly mentioned in its report for soil and water management, irrigation facility to all the agriculture land, hybrid seed production, more harvest, vegetables and fruits production, farmers’ motivational approach, application of fertilisers, pesticides and organic manures and producing profitable crops especially pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, vegetables, flowers, fruits, fish, poultry, goat, cow, mushroom and honey by mapping the land.
However, no step has been undertaken on the report of the commission for over three years, the Sarvodaya points out.
Neither the public are aware of the report nor has it been tabled in the Assembly. The Agriculture Department in its defence stated that attempts were made to table the report in the legislature, but it could not be done due to feedback from the Assembly Secretariat. A sub-committee headed by Agriculture Director is currently reviewing the SFC report, sources said.
The commission is understood to have recommended development of machanised farming, expansion of agro industry, modernisation of agriculture system, to make research results accessible to farmers, crop insurance, appointment opportunity, simple capital system, social security of farmers, land dispute solution and changes in existing farming techniques.