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Farmer suicide is a normal thing: Pawar
Published on Sun, Jun 04, 2006 at 20:22, Updated on Sat, Aug 05, 2006 at 08:17 in section
Tags: Interview, Devils Advocate , Karan Thapar
Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil's Advocate. Has the Government bungled this year's wheat procurement and given the spate of farmer suicides, is the country in the middle of an agrarian crisis. These are the two key questions that I shall put today in an exclusive interview to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Sharad Pawar.
Minister, let's start with the confused wheat situation facing the country. According to your Government's revised figures, last year the country's wheat output was 68.6 million tonnes and the government's procurement was 14.7 million tonnes. This year, when the production is supposed to go up by 3 million tonnes, your procurement, compared to last year will be five million less and compared to your target for this year, seven million less - is that bungling?
Sharad Pawar: It is true that this year's wheat production is more than last year. And this year's wheat procurement is the lowest in the last couple of years.
Karan Thapar: Why?
Sharad Pawar: The reason is that this is the first year that we took up major decisions. One major decision that we had taken was that we had requested all the state governments that they should amend their Agricultural Produce Market Act. As far as Agricultural Produce Market Act is concerned, the farmer was supposed to sell his produce only in mandi and the trader was not allowed to buy produce from the farmers from anywhere other than the mandi. This time we have removed this condition in 18 states and Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh by administrative order. They have amended their laws and for the first time, traders got the opportunity to purchase farmer's produce.
Karan Thapar: I understand what you are saying, but the problem with your explanation is that you set a target of 16.2 million tonnes and you fail to achieve it by almost 50 per cent. Why set a target if you can't achieve it?
Sharad Pawar: There is no target. It is nothing. If the farmer's produce price crosses the MSP level, which means the Minimum Support Price and if the situation of 'distress sales' is created, then it is the responsibility of the state government to enter in the market and save the farmers. I am happy that he is getting a better price.
Karan Thapar: Whether he's got a better price or not is questionable and I will come to that in a moment's time. The problem from the Government's point of view is that you had a procurement target of 16.2 and you have only achieved 9.5. On the other hand, private traders have achieved up to six million tonnes themselves and as a result today, you have to import wheat, something you haven't done for seven years. And it is even possible that by the end of the year, you may be importing as much as five million tonnes, something clearly has gone wrong.
Sharad Pawar: No, nothing is wrong because it was a conscious decision that farmers should get their produce at a certain price.
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Sharad Pawar Is Not Only Hard working Minister But Also Good Farmer Person.He knows Every Taluka %26 District of Maharashtra
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sharad pawar got fumbled and confused over the intensity quetions and nothing else.Due to lack on communication skill in english,pawar
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Hii... its really awful to see ppl like u saying things abt farmers.... u dont knw ground reality... u say
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A politician can speak like an inhuman after become a minister.
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I think if he commits suicide ,then also its a normal thing.How dare he is to say like that.Shame on
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