Click to play videoBarabanki(Uttar Pradesh): Going by the hysteria, the global financial crisis looks universal but there's no crisis in the world of Kamlesh Kumar. His investment is reaping rewards right now. The crop has been good this year and his six bhigha land has harvested have some 25 quintals of paddy.
Enough for him to sustain his family through the year and enough hopefully get his oldest daughter, Renu married off.
“I’ll need at least 40-50000 rupees. I have to give her a dowry, TV, Almirah, Cycle, Watch etc,” says Kamlesh Kumar.
Kamlesh lives in a village called Sonarpur in Uttar Pradesh, one of India's most backward states. His is a world so far removed from the chaotic world of Dalal Street that his fellow villagers don’t even know such a place exists.
“What share bazaar? How will I know about it. Never been there.I just know about my fields and crops,” says a farmer, Malku Lal.
For almost 70 per cent of India that lives in villages like Sonarpur the sensex going 20k up or 10k down isn't the debate. The debate is where the minimum support price is going from rupees 50 up to rupees 900 /quintal is what the villagers have heard- so the big worry not money they will get, but the current availability of fertilisers.
“There is no khaad available anywhere. Tell me if there is no khaad what will I grow and how will I grow it,” says Prem Chand.
However, thanks to a practically closed farm economy where we largely consume what we produce. The Indian farmer, especially the wheat and rice grower is insulated from global market forces. But agro exports to some extent have been hit an especially fishery which is largely dependent on the US markets.
Analysists predict that though the Indian farmer is safe for the moment the meltdown may in the long run hit investment in the farm sector, there by depressing production by next year.
"We should be happy that the Indian farmer has not been exposed to the international forces, but the farmer also needs to be linked increasingingly to the markets as well as to the banking sources," says Agriculture Editor, Business Standard, Economist Surinder Sud.
But for the time being the government tells us we have a bumper crop.10 million tonnes of paddy has already been procured from Punjab and Haryana so as global leaders do their math, the storm over wall street has not reached the green fields of India’s villages.
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