We know what the law says, we know what the PM says and yet we are witnessing the farmers on the roads. Bhakts are calling it freedom for farmers. Farmers are saying we don’t want freedom. Please keep us under the safety of APMC. A lot of other people, don’t have an opinion on it. Freedom to farmer was always available. A farmer was not forced to sell to Govt. He had a choice, he exercised it happily. Whosoever says it’s the freedom of farmers, I would say Farm Bills are actually taking away the options available to farmers. A lot of people living in small towns or cities procure their own wheat from the farmer directly. There was no law, which aided or barred the farmer from selling their produce to consumers.
Every Indian needs to have an opinion on the Farm Bills, because everybody does eat, irrespective of the fact if they are rich or poor. Every human being born has to eat. Particularly for Indians, who eat and subsist on wheat, rice, onion, potato and pulses. Vegetables are also beyond the reach of a lot of poor. The reason nobody shouts or makes noise, if cauliflower is Rs. 80/Kg but all hell breaks loose if onion crosses Rs. 60/Kg.
The most important aspect is, how can every Indian have an opinion on it. To understand the Farm Bills as a consumer or as a human being, who eats food every day, we need to understand the grocery bag of our household. We are getting to the basics, not for farmers but for every Indian, who eats. I am sure our PM has skipped the basics, like always, because he never had to buy grocery for a family.
What does the grocery bag entail? For millennials or people living in big cities, they can easily look at the items to order on www.bigbasket.com.
What does a lower middle class family of 4 to 6 members order every month from their grocery merchant.
10 Kgs Atta (Wheat)
2 Kgs Rice
2 Kgs Pulses (Beans)
2 L Oil
½ Kg Besan
200 gms of Condiments (Spices)
1 Kg Salt
1 Kg Sugar
½ Kg Tea or 100 gms Coffee (Both)
Vegetables as per requirement, easily like half a kg for every day.
You can keep adding the discretionary items to your list which are readily available in our kitchen for pasta, pizza, baking, cross cultural cuisines. But this remains the basic of the largest number of households in India. For the people, who can read or understand, this is what your house help needs in a month at his/her home or perhaps they may replace few kgs of wheat with rice as rice (not basmati) is cheaper than wheat on pocket. The basic essentials don’t add up more than Rs. 1000 bucks. Along with vegetables of season, basic easily reaches Rs. 2000.
Wheat is the only essential commodity, which is bought in bulk and also the most expensive on the item (in whole terms). In coastal India or for poor Indians, rice is bought like wheat, wheat like rice.
Ask any daily migrant labourer, what he cooks for food at night for dinner and next day for which he buys daily from his daily needs merchant after hard day’s work.
Rs. 10 on oil
Rs. 10 on pulses/vegetables (ideally potatoes)
Rs. 10 on onion
Rs. 10 on Atta/Rice
Rs. 10 on Condiments (Spices) or may be not
Salt is always available with them. Ideally the budget is Rs. 30 for every day.
Here on the labourer’s shopping list, we need to consider the quantity of every item purchased in every ten bucks.
We all know the brouhaha on onions whenever the price escalates and the Govt. pitches in to control prices or imports onions to ensure the prices do not escalate beyond the reach of common Indian (poor). Cold storage warehouses are largely engaged in storage of potatoes to ensure round the year availability.
Imagine the price of wheat (rice) rises by 50%, what would be the impact on the budget of grocery basket. What if there is shortage of wheat in the market? India has always been surplus on wheat and rice ever since Green Revolution. Except for one time, when the Govt. of India experimented with free market economies for wheat and rice in 2004 after amending the laws in 2003, the resultant of which, there was wheat shortage in India, Govt. of India had to import 80 Lakh Tonnes of wheat at twice the price.
Currently we have flourishing Atta Chakkis in every neighbourhood, who ground the wheat for us, which is 30% plus the MSP. They are able to sell at 30% because the warehouse and bulk of packaging and logistics cost is borne by the Govt. of India (read FCI). Branded wheat price goes up by 60% for better packaging, logistics and concentrated procurement and storage to some extent. Here the Company is taking all the costs on their heads, except for bulk packing to some extent. Govt. of India should be looking at gradually passing on the costs of packaging and logistics on to the consumers instead of loading it onto tax paying citizens.
Take the case of pulses, the prices of which fluctuates due to its trading on Commodities Exchange but largely it remains range bound. Right now before the harvest, there is slight uncertainty of crop output plus replenishment of stored crops, hence prices become jittery during that phase. Although, when there is shortage sensed, the prices go up and the Govt. is pressured to control the prices of one or two types of dal, so the essential remains affordable for the poor.
The quantity or the budget, which goes into wheat/rice is substantial for every household in India. Freedom of wheat and rice is not only detrimental to farmers but also the consumers, which unfortunately in our case, the number is 135+ Crores. I am sure, our PM like always would not have thought how the new Farm Bill impact the poor people who eat. Just in case, PM does not know or remember the number of poor in the country, I hope he saw the images of poor walking back to their villages due to lockdown, which was announced with 4 hours notice.
The larger the quantity required, the cheaper it should be, for Govt. to look at inflation and more money is available for people to spend on discretionary (tax paying) items, the farmers, they are only looking for MSP not MRP of their produce; and for consumers, given the population size of India and record number of poor population in India.
Our PM is a man possessed, who is obsessed to make a better India for every Indian. PM has always reiterated to doubling the income of the farmer. His wild conjecture remains, the bills aim to double the income of farmer. Free market economies for farmers. Though free market economics is a paradox in the new India, which is still under construction by our PM. We need to look at the policies of the Govt. for industry for different sectors. Industry is burdened with plethora of laws, with notifications which change every week.
Govt. of India has banned so many products, the musical chair of ban/not ban is a continuous process throughout the year. For agricultural purposes, take the case of onions, how many Govt. lifted the ban to export and how many times it was imposed every year, couple it with import ban and open imports. The duty structure of every commodity changes with every season (especially for export purposes). The capping of prices of commodities and products is again a drum beat for PM to play, whenever he is bored with politics in India. Industry is also asking, not too loudly, give us a sense, of what you wish to achieve. Industry lobby does not mind the over arching laws, but now they are requesting to Govt., at least stick to it, don’t change it, let me adapt to this vileness, you are so bent on imposing on me.
Govt. is aiming to bring the farmers (especially the poor and the uneducated) to be part of this musical chairs competition or drum beats system. Farmers are requesting, implement Swaminathan commission, which says, Cost of Production plus 50% should be payable to farmer. Cost of Production moves with the trend of inflation. Here, if the Govt. is determined to double the farmers income, it means the price of human consumption will go up. Or otherwise, Govt. is asking farmers to move away from two cropping pattern, grow something else in the intermediate period of 2 months or perhaps move at least one crop away from wheat or paddy, which again can put supply pressures for food security, to jack up the price of human consumption. Majority of farmers are not depending on wheat – rice cropping pattern. 90% of the wheat production comes from 6 States – UP, MP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Bihar (in that order). Late Mr. Jaitley had announced in 2016 Budget that the Govt. has complied with the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission Report; by tinkering with the formula of Cost of Production.
Doubling of farmers with a law is a myth, innovated by the PM behind his teleprompter. Doubling of farmers income cannot be achieved by corporatization of farms. It is a collective effort of various Govt. agencies by working hand to hand with a number of farmer associations and organizations and large corporates. Like ITC is working with a lot of farmers under its e-chaupal initiative but only for their sustenance and not for prosperity of the farmer. ITC efforts are definitely laudable.
Now, we only have to look at the manner in which Farm Bills were passed in the Parliament. I don’t doubt the intent of the Modi Govt. The Govt. is always doing for the best of the people. But unfortunately the results of our Govt. prove that only good intentions are not sufficient to make it success.
I am again saying, it is not about the farmers. It is about the consumers (not citizens). Consumers indicate fair price, no loss to any concerned party. Citizen can mean, it’s a welfare scheme from the Govt. (where Govt. certainly is losing money like PDS). It is only about the consumers. Our Govt’s approach is a joke, the bill (law) which touches the food bill of every person was justified by less than 280 characters tweets of our Modi, he delivered total of 5 tweets.
The Constitution of India, has laid the procedure for electing MPs, wherein they are to voice concerns of their Constituents in the Parliament. Good or bad, right or wrong, logical or illogical, all are welcome and the Govt. (irrespective of party) tries and makes an effort to explain and justify. Needless to say, every Opposition is always unsatisfied but the discussion allows the Govt. to make it better.
Our Govt. knows they will remain unchallenged in Lok Sabha due to majority of their party but Rajya Sabha is always a battle, which seems like war to Modi Govt. after Lok Sabha. Farm Bills protesting and passage will remain biggest blot on Indian Parliament’s history. Opposition members protesting in the well of the House and the tearing up the Rule book of Rajya Sabha in front of the Chair. Doesn’t matter, who is sitting, which party he belongs to, which post he holds, the Chair is the Chair, it has to be respected irrespective.
Needless to say, we need to stand with the Chair in suspension of 8 Opposition members, who were literally on the verge of violence while protesting in Parliament. Yet the Chair for its designation, should have allowed voting after suspension of 8 MPs. But the Chair in tearing hurry passed the Bills by voice vote without listening or looking at the voices or the show of hands. The seconds he took before announcing the Bills as passed to vote. As if the Chair is SBI’s officer, who is getting late for lunch.
Farm Bills which affects every citizen of India. Farm Bills which affect the livelihoods of half the population of India, more than 70 Crs people (farmers and their families) did not warrant a separate Parliament session to show and explain the vision of our PM and great future of the farmers. Modi Govt. is working on reforms for farmers since 2014. Every scheme, even if flawed has targeted at improvement of farming and farmers in India. Be it Digital India.
It’s just that the Govt. of India could have taken time to explain and although Opposition would have taken a hell lot time to understand. We can agree, pandemic does not warrant such lengthy discussion. But pandemic should not be an excuse which can hurt food consumption of every Indian. Engaging in dialogue with farmer unions/societies was the most important part of the legislation but we didn’t know if that is even so.
The hurry with which PM wishes to implement vision is always the reason, why we have doomed policies in India. Will Indians be paying more for wheat and rice in future? If there is no shortage, our food bill, the heaviest items will also be the most costliest (not because of weight) and RBI would definitely be mentioning the Inflation targeting due to wheat and rice in FY 23 if not in FY22. If there is food shortage in India like 2004, the Govt. of India will end up spending a lot more.
The Govt. should be generous in spending on health, education and defence. Our Govt. has no toehold on the most important segments. Rather, clean air, clean water and food are the most important essentials for an average Indian, for which every Indian will be deprived with the Farm Bills. Naysayers may not agree but air and water issue can be sorted with Turbine Theory of our PM.
It is high time, every Indian should have an opinion on Farm Bill rather than repeating the PMs tweets, which are absent from truth (which are even further away from reality). The food is necessity of every human being, irrespective of class, religion or political affinity.
