Listen to the problems faced by farmers in Bihar

Sitamarhi (Bihar), Oct.24 (ANI): In August, Union minister for Steel Beni Prasad Verma stoked a controversy with his comment that price rise was beneficial for farmers. The opposition without missing a moment pounced on his remark accusing the government of being part of the "mehengai mafia" (price rise mafia).

BJP leader Arun Jaitley said those who have made such statements are not aware that farmers are committing suicide due to the burden of debt and increase in input costs. Amid this furor, the farmer, who is being represented by so many, stands confused as, for him, the sensitivity of the issue is lost in the politics that is unlikely to change his ill fate. Be it drought or flood, inflation or deflation, he is the lone sufferer.

In the same month, floods triggered by heavy rains in Nepal affected 158 panchayats spread over six districts in Bihar, uprooting 1.53 lakh people, as stated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the state legislative council. Although drought is believed to be the primary factor in causing devastation this year in most of the region, the situation continues to remain unchanged for the villages bordering Nepal. For them, flood is the bane of their lives, destroying hundreds of acres of agricultural land - the only source of livelihood for the majority of villagers.

As India's most flood-prone State, 76 percent of the population in north Bihar lives under the recurring threat of flood devastation. The area prone to floods in Bihar (before its bifurcation with Jharkhand), as assessed by Rashtriya Barh Ayog (RBA), is 42.60 lakh hectares. Every year, besides the heavy rains, water released by Nepal is believed to be another major reason for the floods.

Loss in farming is discouraging the young from adopting this profession and they are movig from their lands to the cities in search of better job opportunities.

"Since our village is situated on the banks of the river, we face a flood like situation every year. It destroys the crops sometimes completely . Because of floods, we are unable to make ends meet. Aid from government faces political hurdles and never reaches us. This village is shown as 'flood affected', help and government aid is sought, but it never reaches us. On the other hand, fertilisers reach late and are provided when the crop is almost ready," rued farmer Raj Kishore Yadav, 55.

Farmers have always been the strength of our country, reflected by the fact that over sixty percent population is still dependent on agriculture. The Planning Commission makes it a point to devote sufficient schemes and policies for farmers, both at the Center and State level.

Recently, the government of Bihar has started a Call Center to resolve the problems faced by farmers. A joint effort by the Department of Agriculture and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), this Center is situated in Chemical House of Mithapur Agricultural Farm in Patna. The Center will provide solutions to farmers for their agricultural problem. Twelve experts will be available on ten phone lines for the farmers.

The interesting thing about the Center is that if a query cannot be answered immediately, it will be provided by the agricultural expert on a later date. In addition to this, 5459 quintals of advance paddy seeds are being provided to farmers on a subsidized rate under the 'Chief Minister's Seeds Rapid Expansion Scheme' for which 90,996 farmers across the state have been selected. According to the State's Agricultural Department, farmers will be given paddy seeds on 90% subsidy. This will be provided through Bihar State Seeds Corporation.

With so many efforts what are we lacking? The Centre and State governments have been making constant efforts to improve agricultural production. Why are they turning futile? Farmers who feed the entire nation have become so helpless that some of them feel that they have no alternate but to put an end to their constant miseries by committing suicide.

Why does our Government fail to provide support during drought or flood like situations? Farmers need permanent solutions to these problems, failing which, as the trend already shows, the day is not far when every farmer will consider renouncing farming and moving towards other modes of employment. In such a situation, we might have to face dire consequences.

The Charkha Development Communication Network feel that it is necessary for the government to seek the opinion of the farmers on what they require and not what the politicians want in order to stay in power. Solutions should be accessible to the farmers . Providing crores of rupees every year in the name of flood aid would not cease the trend of farmer suicides and it's high time we understood this! By Irfana Khatoon (ANI)