Editorial: Create market for produce

Rythu Bandhu, the investment support scheme launched by the TRS government in May 2018, is by far the most innovative and landmark initiative of the administration that has had a profound impact on the farm sector, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The scheme not only pulled out farmers from the debt trap that they were in perennially before 2014, it also brought about a significant change in their daily lives since the ghost of debt had been banished. The State government complemented Rythu Bandhu with another equally innovative scheme – Rythu Bima – that ensures a quick payout of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a deceased farmer. Rythu Bandhu came in for praise from several quarters, both domestic and international, with the RBI pointing out that Telangana was the first to introduce such a scheme that was soon picked up by several States, and how it was a far more effective tool as opposed to loan waiver that was coming under increasing scrutiny because it is seen more as a temporary bailout with hazardous implications on credit culture. In fact, P Chengal Reddy, the vocal farm rights activist, described Rythu Bandhu as one of the best reforms in the agriculture sector in post-Independence India. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, whose brainchild the Rythu Bandhu is, at the time of launching the scheme, had remarked: “We have water, power and investment. Now we will fight with the Central government for Minimum Support Price for crops.” Looking back, Rao’s observation appears to have an ominous ring to it. That is exactly what the BJP-led Centre has compelled Telangana to do – to go on a warpath with the union government over rice procurement.

We are not an authoritarian State where the government can impose restrictions or regulate crop patterns. Yes, agriculture production has to be demand-driven and ideally cater to the market needs. It sounds logical at the argument level, but farmers at the individual level enjoy the right to cultivate the crop of their choice. Telangana has been putting in a lot of effort to educate farmers about the need to go in for alternative crops to the traditional paddy. But, the Centre should realise that it is not an easy task to change the mindset of the farming community overnight. As Chengal Reddy rightly put it, the TRS government has done a great job in propelling the farm sector towards a massive growth path given the fact that agriculture is a State subject. It is now for the Centre to complement the State’s efforts by ensuring a market for the agriculture produce since that is an area which is under its control. It can’t just wash its hands off the procurement issue, and leave the blame at the doorsteps of the State government.

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