‘More needed to improve status of agriculture’

CHANDIGARH - Despite various programmes initiated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to improve the status of agriculture, famers’ leaders strongly feel that not enough has been done and large numbers of farmers remain heavily in debt.

“Various flagship programmes by the UPA government, which started after 2004, have not proved helpful for farmers. Their economic policies are putting an adverse impact on agriculture sector but still nobody is bothered about it,” said Sharad Joshi, former member of parliament and senior farmers’ leader from Maharashtra, while talking to reporters here.

Joshi was attending the convention of All India Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC).

“Our government boasts of debt waiver scheme but it should calculate the actual number of farmers that were benefited as still many of them are reeling under huge debts. Today we have discussed and evaluated various programmes of the government that were launched for the farmers,” he said.

“There is monopoly of Food Corporation of India (FCI) and everyone is looting farmers. Bank schemes are very confusing and farmers are forced to live at the mercy of unscrupulous commission agents and moneylenders,” Joshi pointed out.

Talking about the Punjab government’s hesitation in disbursing a Rs.800 crore central government grant, Joshi said: “Punjab government is sitting on the Rs.800 crore package meant for state farmers.”

KCC president Bhupinder Singh Mann said: “The government is deliberately keeping the prices of agriculture produce low and due to this, high-priced low-quality adulterated inputs are benefiting industry at the cost of agriculture.”

Over 200 farmers attended the convention.

Joshi said that next KCC meeting will be held in Kerala and the dates will be announced shortly.