Indian farmers stare at bleak future, rues Chukki Nanjundaswamy

H. Ramachandregowda Memorial Progressive Farmer Award conferred

Mysore/Mysuru: Chukki Nanjundaswamy, Managing Director, Amritabhoomi International Centre for Sustainable Farming and Development, said that fight for life and death was going on between the powerful companies and farmers without backing. The Government was formulating rules to completely banish farmers from agriculture. 

She was speaking after presenting H. Ramachandregowda Memorial Progressive Farmer Award to T.R. Vidyasagar of Tandavapura in Nanjangud taluk, on behalf of Rotary Mysore Midtown at Rotary Centre on JLB Road in city last evening.

“Farmers are staring a bleak future. They are forced to give whatever demanded in market. No law is in their favour. If farmers are staging dharna on Delhi-Punjab border for over two months braving the biting cold against three Farm Laws enacted by the Centre, people in power must know that there should be some reason for their indefinite strike,” Chukki said.

Owners of Multi-National Companies (MNCs) had attempted to formulate rules and regulations to see that farmers should not do agriculture in an agriculture-dependent country like India. But it was never implemented due to strong opposition. Now, the companies were finding other means to get their favourable rules implemented. Most of the bi-lateral and open trade agreements have fallen apart. Now, bilateral agreement means secret agreement between two countries, she                 pointed out.

Chukki said that recently, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has started in Australia, New Zealand and other European countries, and it may start in India too. If this happens, small and marginal land holders and dairy sector would vanish. New Zealanders were on their tenterhook to bring thousands of cows here and sell the milk here. The agriculture sector had seen a lot of development since last 25 years especially after signing the World Trade Organisation (WTO) treaty. Before that, farmers were not committing suicide despite taking loan. But after signing the WTO treaty, the farmers’ suicide began, unable to repay debt. So far, around 3-4 lakh farmers have ended their lives.

Nearly 75 percent of the agriculture sector was facing trouble and farmers were unable to come out of it. No political party has come out with a solution to problems of farmers. Why urbanites or middle-class people are not questioning about farmers’ suicide?, she noted.