No one loves the farmer

NEXT MONTH, UTTAR Pradesh (UP) will have a new popular government, hopefully with a clear mandate. If UP was a country, with a population reportedly of more than 214 million in 2015 (as per UN population projections), it would have been the fifth most populous country in the world after China, India, US and Indonesia. Holding free and fair elections in such a large state is a proud moment for democracy, which is supposed to be for the people, by the people. One of the key objectives of such a democratically elected government is to adopt policies that can quickly alleviate hunger and poverty and create an environment where people can enjoy peace and prosperity.

UP is primarily a rural and agri-dominated state. More than 77 per cent of its population resides in rural areas; about 60 per cent of its work force is engaged in agriculture as the 2011 Census shows. It is blessed with one of the most fertile plains in the world, with almost 80 per cent of its cropped area having irrigation, although Bundelkhand has just 40 per cent irrigation cover. UP supports almost 17 per cent of all India’s population with roughly 13 per cent of India’s gross cropped area (GCA) and 7.4 per cent of geographical area.

Almost 80 per cent of its cropped area is under foodgrains with yields that are lower than all-india averages. During 2005-06 to 2014-15, UP’S agri-gdp growth has been 3.2 per cent per annum, somewhat below the all-india average of 3.6 per cent, but almost one-third of the growth rate experienced by neighbouring Madhya Pradesh (9.7 per cent), and less than half of Chhattisgarh (6.6 per cent). Even Bihar scored a better agri-gdp growth of 4.6 per cent during the same period. No wonder UP’S per capita income remains less than half of the all-india average, and almost 30 per cent of its population is poor, against 22 per cent at an all-india level, as based on the Tendulkar poverty line in 2011.

Both BJP and SP manifestos promise