13. SUBSIDY TO FARMERS

13.

 SUBSIDY TO FARMERS

The present economic policies are victimizing farmers. Farmers are forced to sell their land against their wishes for low prices to big industrialists and builders. Farmers who lose their land become unemployed. Hence farmers are moving to cities in search of jobs.

Several scams have come to light where nexus of leader and industrialists bought land very cheaply from farmers in the name of development. They changed the land use and sold it for huge sum of money.

AAP promised that no land will be acquired without permission of mohalla sabha. The right to change the land use will remain with the mohalla sabha. This will ensure that farmers will be able to have a stake in development and progress.

Farming has become expensive due to the increase in price of seeds and fertilizers. Government fixes such low rates for crop that even the input cost is covered.

The sugarcane farmers in Delhi are forced to sell their crop for a very low price. Instead of caring for the plight of the farmers, the Congress government is protecting the interests of the sugar mill owners by giving them subsidies. Their mid-set is anti-farmers and anti-villagers. Becoming helpless, the farmers are committing suicide. Farmers are affected by changes in climate.

Farmers invest in agriculture and expect that the good times will more than balance the bad times. But sometimes the opposite takes place leading to suicides. Adjusting to business risks in farming is more difficult than in other areas of small business like mechanics, restaurants and tourist operators.

Delhi has very few farmers. The Agricultural Marketing and Produce act compels the farmers to sell their produce in ‘mandies’ which are in a very bad condition. The farmers have to pay very high amount as commission. Sometimes the commission is 6 to 10% of the value. The act has to be repealed and private markets must be encouraged. This will bring down the value of vegetables and fruits.

There is a need to increase the farm subsidies to save the farmers.  Farming industry subsidies help raise returns in draught situations. They have the effect of raising the average returns from farming, which privatises the gains and socialises the losses and they also reduce the variations of returns over time. Both help in redistribution of scarce national resources from higher value uses to lower value uses like subsidies do to motor vehicle construction industry.

Landless farmers who have been given land on leasehold will be given security of tenure.

Veterinary hospitals would be set up for animals.

WORK DONE IN DELHI IN PROVIDING SUBSIDY TO FARMERS

            After coming to power in Delhi, AAP held meetings to discuss giving subsidy to farmers. AAP assured to help poor farmers and those farmers who have suffered loss due to one reason or the other. Subsidies include low interest loans not available to other industries, and subsidies for the transport of water, fodder and livestock.

            But unfortunately the government was made to fall before any of these could be implemented.