Monday, January 21, 2008

India: 60 Years: 60 Words: [9] Corporate Agriculture

India: 60 Years: 60 Words: [9] Corporate Agriculture

[India has competed 60 years of independence and to mark this, I am presenting this series of Articles, about the words, that are meaning a lot for the progress of the country. If you feel I missed some thing [For listing of words see the first article “India: 60 Years: 60 Words”] do inform me at
premputar@gmail.com I will try to include that at the end of series]

Over the years India is the country of formers and Indian economy is the world’s best illustration for the agricultural economy. Today even after the 60 years of independence, achieving high rated technical excellence, high industrial growth and entering into world market of launching the satellite, majority of Indian population is the village population and fallows the agricultural economy.

Concepts like the “Green Revolution”, “Cash Crops”, “Second Crop” and “Simultaneous Works like the Poultry” etc. has not only boosted the agricultural production to go beyond the limits of self sufficiency but also worked for the addition to the monetary wealth of the formers. Rich flora and fauna diversified climatic conditions of the country when bundled with the new improvised way of forming and technical excellence resulted in producing a magical effect of taking the country into list of world exporters for many agricultural yielding like the Onion, flowers, sugar, cotton, herbal products, tea and spices etc.

Corporate agriculture is the most recent addition to the vocabulary and dictionary of the Indian formers, though this new concept is being opposed by the majority of formers because the stiff competition and war of survival, which might be going to become the most threatening effect of this concept for the individual formers. Surely the large investment capacities and reach to modernization with better and effective storage facilities will put the corporate sector ahead of the common individual formers. Indian formers welcomed the co-operative moment because in this there was a space for keeping the individual identity intact but the most fearful perception about the corporate agriculture is the loosing this identity.

Why the corporate sector is aiming at this village economy? Is the question, without addressing to which it is going to be tough and irrelevant to deal with and understand the new concept in its totality. World’s present super power America is on the roads of weakening and new economic centre is bound to emerge only two economies of the world China and India are speeding in this direction, in the industry and commerce competition is growing to become stiff day by day and forcing corporate sector to search new horizons for existences, diversified climatic conditions and liberal government policies towards the agricultural based activities is making the field ideal for entrance of the capitalist groups into scene in the India. Above all the agricultural sector of India is primarily constituted from the huge number of small and non associate farmers and this is the most attracting thing for the corporate sector.

Corporate agricultural will bring the old days of farmer slavery or Jamidar systems and all the land reforms of 60 years will turn meaningless is the thought wave of the group opposing the entrance of the corporate sector in the agricultural arena. The probable difference might be caused by the present village education levels of the country and might not the Indian farmers fall pray to any trap of the capitalist groups, besides that experience of working with cooperative societies is also going to help the farmers for getting a better deal and more beneficial contract from the corporate sector. All what I see will happen that with increased inflow of investment more technological excellence will involved, more advanced techniques will be part of day to day farming, better storage facilities will going to increase the earnings and might the agricultural exports go on to match other sectors on the front of earning foreign currencies for the country. Though it will be going to add responsibilities of the government as safeguarding the welfare and rights will go on to higher priority list and will be pressurized to come with laws favoring the farmers in case of dispute so the corporate sector should not get upper hand only on the bases of huge invest mental capacities.

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