New deal, please!

Troubled by the growing farmer unrest, M S Swaminathan, father of India's Green Revolution, raises a few questions for the country's agriculture experts to deliberate on

Experts speak on what ails Indian agriculture and the ways forward

There is a crisis in agriculture largely because the three major factors that influence its economic viability have become unfavourable to farmers. First, the cost of production is going up because of rising input costs. Second, the risks involved are increasing due to erratic monsoon and market behaviour.Third, the return from farming is on the decline as pricing and procurement are unfavourable. Even crops like pulses, which we need badly to overcome protein hunger, are not being purchased at the minimum support price (msp) announced. Chilli growers in Andhra Pradesh are facing a similar predicament.The import-export policies are also not always in the interest of farmers, as in the case of natural rubber in Kerala this year.Thus, a whole series of ecological, technological, social and economic factors is multiplying the problems of small farmers, already facing risks triggered by climate change. Here are a few questions whose answers would help address their problems. We had tried to answer them in the National Commission on Farmers (ncf ) report, submitted to the Indian government 10 years ago. It suggested a National Policy for Farmers. But the recommendations are yet to be acted upon, especially in case of pricing, procurement and public distribution.