People's Democracy

AIKS Demands More Concrete Steps

S Ramachandran Pillai, president and K Varadarajan general secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has issued the following statement on July 9, 2004:

THE union budget 2004-2005 of the UPA government presented by the finance minister P Chidramparam contains many positive aspects regarding agriculture and irrigation. The AIKS welcomes the strategy of the new deal for agriculture comprising additional public spending, tax incentives for agro-processing and off budget measures to promote rural infrastructure. The proposal to restore water bodies, encourage research and development, a new insurance scheme, increased allocation for SC/ST and special programme for education of poor are some of the welcome steps taken in the direction of the CMP worked out by the UPA.

The intention of the government to address the problems of agriculture and the initiative taken in this direction are welcome steps. However, the AIKS feels that some basic issues faced by the rural poor were not adequately addressed in the budget. Rural employment generation scheme was not given a concrete shape in the budget. Though food-for-work programme in 150 backward districts is a welcome step, adequate fund allocation and concrete proposal of employment generation scheme is immediately needed.

The fluctuation of price of various crops is a major issue faced by the farmers especially the poor and marginal sections. The farmers producing coffee, tea, oil seeds and other crops are affected by the steep fall in prices in last several years. Cane growers are affected by huge arrears with the mill owners. It would have been better if the budget addressed such concrete issues faced by the peasantry.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY?

The contention in the budget that “India is self sufficient on wheat and paddy but deficient in other agricultural produce” is also not correct. In fact, in the last ten years the percentage of foodgrains growth is less than the percentage of population growth. Per capita availability of foodgrains is also reducing day by day. So, the AIKS demands that proper care should be taken for ensuring food security of the nation when working out a scientific diversification of crops.

The AIKS does not accept the contention of the finance minister Chidambaram that “a distinct bias in the agricultural price support policies in favour of rice and wheat has distorted cropping pattern and input usage”. The AIKS demands that the price of crops both foodgrains and cash crops and issue of diversification of crops should not be left in the hands of the market forces. Instead, the government should intervene effectively with proper coordination of the peasants and with the help of local research.

Basic issue of the land reforms, and comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers were also not addressed in the budget.

The All India Kisan Sabha while welcoming the initiative taken by UPA government to shift the importance to agriculture, demands further concrete steps to address the basic issues of the peasantry, especially the rural poor.