Much significance is being attached to the speech of vice-president Hamid Ansari on national seminar on 'Public investment and subsidies on Agriculture Inputs and the upliftment of Agrarian Economy” organised by AIKS.

Addressing 1,000 delegates from 22 states and delegations from France and Bangladesh Mr Ansari pointed out that the reforms appears to have improved terms of trade for agriculture but growth in agricultural sector has been weak and well below that of non-agricultural sectors. The gap between rural and urban incomes has widened. While national income has gone at above 6 per cent over the last five years, agricultural income grew by mere 1.1 per cent during 2014-15.

Talking about present status, Ansari quoted a survey commissioned by Bharat Krishak Samaj which said that 62 per cent of agriculturists were willing to quit farming to move to cities and that only 20 per cent the rural youth was keen to continuing farming.

The survey found out that more than 40 per cent farmers were dissatisfied with economic condition. The figure was more than 60 per cent in eastern India. Ansari opined that they were disturbing trends.

While quoting senior journalist P Sainath, vice president said that since 1995 more than three lakhs farmers had committed suicides, which brought to focus's Indian agriculture was under stress despite the quantum of public investments it appears to be receiving.

Ansari stressed on the need for policy intervention in land market reforms required a new impetus as holding were becoming fragmented and uneconomical and marginal farmers needed flexibility in leasing out the land.

He further said that agricultural price policy was also facing challenges. The practices of announcing minimum support price based on variable costs before sowing season could be looked into. Similarly, procurement food grains needed for public distribution and for food security purpose.

Advocating rational approach for pricing of agricultural inputs such as irrigation, power and fertilizer, Hamid Ansari said that while providing timely delivery of required inputs must ensure that the small and marginal farmers were not adversely affected.

Hamid Ansari said that farm and food subsidies need to be rationalized and better targeted to befit poor and the needy. Direct cash transfers offer a possible mechanism. While ensuing transparency and preventing leakage is important these subsidies are justified as they benefit not only producers but also society at large.

Appreciating rise in agricultural credit in recent years Hamid Ansari said that government needed to address distributional aspects of agricultural credit including better access to small and marginal farmers, strengthening rural branches and reducing significant regional inter-class inequalities in credit.

Hamid Ansari said that there was a need for social corrective along with the economic correctives to redress these challenges. More infusion of funds might not be enough unless the underlying social gaps and divisions remain in place. Barriers growing from castes and other identities that have seemingly hampered progressive measures such as farmers cooperative movement in most parts of country baring a few regions need to be dismantled and ground created for collective action.

In order to bring happiness to farmers, vice-president pointed out that government required to take bold steps to translate the good intentions into action to tackle the deficiencies. Significantly enough, the vice president observed that a strong political will was required as well as the need to develop a wide political consensus.

Hamid Ansari gave a call to launch 'Grow in India' programme to transform the socio-economic fabric of agricultural sector as much as country required a 'Make in India” programme. (IPA Service)