Experts’ Speak - Protect Our Livelihood
India must move to high-value agriculture (poultry, fishery, dairy, fruits and vegetables) with a value chain approach, from plate to plough — a demand-driven system. For that we need to think of policies and institutions through which our farmers can access pan-India markets, and even export markets on a regular basis, be it through cooperatives or farmer producer organisation (FPOs) on digital commerce platforms (like eNAM or ONDC) or though contract farming with large processors, retailers, and exporters. 
Precision agriculture not only boosts yield but also contributes to the long-term health of the soil, extending farmland fertility. This practice, which demands a more precise application of inputs, results in lower costs for farmers. Simultaneously, enhanced productivity and improved crop quality enable farmers to command higher incomes. India needs to adopt a two-pronged strategy with respect to water in agriculture. First, on the supply side, it must augment buffer stocking of water during the monsoon season in its reservoirs, and recharge groundwater through check dams and watersheds, etc. Second, it must work on the demand side to ensure more rational allocation and efficient use of water across crops. M S Swaminathan is no more. But his legacy remains with every student and scientist of agriculture. He is most widely known for working with Norman Borlaug to usher in the Green Revolution in India in the mid-1960s when India was facing back-to-back droughts. Millions would have died of starvation if the country had not experienced the Green Revolution. Integrating livestock and crops, a common practice in the past, is a viable option that all farmers should adopt. This approach offers multidimensional benefits, including income security, continued availability of animal manure, and reduced dependency on crops for livelihoods. Government incentives, awareness campaigns, and training programmes can help farmers revive this approach. Ineffective implementation of MSP and ‘non-procurement’ of all the crops at the MSP is also one of the main concerns of farmers. Such a scenario builds a strong rationale for giving ‘legal status’ to MSP as it is the floor or reference price. This does not imply that the government should procure all those crops but would certainly bind the private players to procure those crops at least at the MSP. Convergence of SHGs, Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Co-operatives will lead to better bargaining power of farmers in terms of bulk procurement of inputs at a discounted price, economies of scale in transportation and warehousing, access to low cost institutional finance, farm mechanisation (drones for monitoring of crops and spraying of fertilisers and plant protection chemicals, etc.), aggregation in selling of agri-produce at remunerative prices. Over the last six years, farmers paid a premium of about Rs. 25, 186 crore but received claims worth Rs. 1,25,662 core (as on Oct 31, 2022). There can't be a better deal than this for farmers. Still, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, Jharkhand and West Bengal opted out of the scheme citing 'financial constraints'. Punjab persistently opposed and never implemented the scheme [PM-Fasal Bima Yojana]. Now is the time for them to think and join this PM-FBY. “We need innovations in technologies, products, institutions and policies for more diversified high-value agriculture that is also planet friendly. On the question of doubling farmers’ income, we must realise it is going to take time. It can be done by increasing productivity through better seeds and better irrigation.” The FM has announced an Agri-Focused Accelerator Fund. She also talked of creating digital public infrastructure for agriculture as an open-source, open-standard and interoperable public good... These are steps in the right direction but we have to see how much funds are allocated under these schemes.