India is a land of agriculture. This is what we read in our geography books when we were children and this is what we say now, we are great. It is not that we have not progressed industrially in these forty years after independence. We formed a nation that could not make ‘nuts and bolts’, we have emerged as a nation that can make and launch its own satellites. But above all we are still farmers. Seventy-five percent of people are related to agriculture in one way or another. And in terms of production we have some distinctions to be proud of. We are number one in the world in sugarcane production and number two in rice. We are only next to China in tea and Egypt in cotton. And again in peanuts, we are number one.

But within so many firsts and seconds, we are nowhere near food self-sufficiency. To feed the millions of our poor, who do not eat even two full meals a day, we import wheat from America, rice from Burma, sugar from Indonesia, and cotton from Egypt year after year. An indisputable reason is the multiplication of their mouths, although there are others that are not so obvious. Due to unscientific preservation methods and poor storage conditions, millions of tons of food are washed away by floods, if not spoiled over time.

But it is our usual practice to blame the poor farmer first for his primitive methods of farming. With a small plot of land that will not allow a large tractor to be maneuvered, not enough capital to buy expensive implements, not even to buy fertilizers and pesticides, without perennial irrigation facilities, how can you adapt to modern conditions? His ignorance, lack of education and heavy debt keep him firmly entrenched in a state of helplessness, while a great revolution unfolds before his eyes. What farmer loves to see his crop wither for lack of water? Or would he not like to get maximum yields if he could help him with an extra supply of manure? Whether we accept it or not, agriculture is an industry and, like any other industry, it needs capital. The poor farmer with insufficient property can never hope to have it. There may be cooperative credit societies and rural banks. His ignorance prevents him from skipping red tape and getting timely help. It’s no wonder then that the average yield per acre remains the lowest in the world.

India is one of the most fertile areas in the world. The Indo-Gangetic plain, can easily become the world’s food plate and feed it alone and completely. However, most of the water in its rivers drains into the sea and, in times of flood, inundates vast areas, killing livestock and people alike, destroying thousands of acres of standing crops, washing away town after town, and ultimately becoming the pain of the earth. . If we have a Bhakra Nangal project, we don’t know how to divide the water, to the satisfaction of each state involved, than to follow the path of prudence and prosper. Not long ago, an engineer had the great vision of linking the Kaveri with the Ganges, which he called the ‘Ganga Kaveri Project’ and proved with figures and calculations that it was feasible. But before he could win popular approval, he lost his cabinet post and the plan was thrown in the Trash.

Today, we don’t know if we should go ahead with the construction of the Narmada Valley Project, which would perhaps turn vast arid areas into beautiful green belts. There are really important people who keep arguing for and against even after spending crores of rupees on project work. It is not the management of water that we must learn, but the management of its distribution. Andhra Pradesh was allowed until the end of the century to use the leftover waters of the Krishna which would drain into the Bay of Bengal anyway, but the Karnataka government would not allow it. His million-dollar argument is: “If you use it now, you will be tempted to use it tomorrow.” This is the ultimate in regionalism. No wonder the people of the city of Madras are languishing thirsty from a drought of clean drinking water. Only a Bhagiratha should bring the Telugu Ganga to Madras.

More than 175 million acres are under cultivation now and there are almost 60 million acres that can be plowed. Even after the recovery of these vast areas, the country cannot achieve food self-sufficiency as primitive methods are used. They may add another 30 million tons, which will not be enough to feed the ever-growing mouths. The rate of land reclamation cannot keep up with the rate of population growth, which is estimated to double every forty years if left unchecked.

Therefore, the need of the hour is to have a fresh look at the entire structure. Not many have a minimum of 5 hectares of land per family that is enough to feed all the mouths they have. It will become a profitable enterprise if they adopt modern techniques, substituting the plow for the tractor and resorting to intensive cultivation. In fact, some of the people who own more than 5 acres of arable land have turned to modern methods of agriculture. They have their own tractors, wells and pumps. But the vast majority of the farming community either owns no land or owns less than 5 acres. Although they make up 80% of the cultivating community, their holdings do not exceed 20% of the cultivated land, suggesting that their activities are highly wasteful. It is there that the government must intervene with all possible help, it can organize them into cooperatives and offer them high-yield seeds, fertilizers and other essential implements. When vacant land is claimed, these landless poor must be made to settle with offers of minimal arable land, implements, and other assistance. With a donation of 3/5 of an acre of land plus a small cash grant for each family of the landless poor, the Chinese were able to achieve a green revolution in a short span of five years.

Therefore, as things stand at the present time, the small farmer with his wasteful possessions cannot adapt himself to modern methods of farming; The large landowner, due to changing tenure laws and unpredictable conditions, is not very interested in plowing every part of his land and striving for optimum yields. The territorial limit introduced by many half-hearted states did not produce the expected results, since it was not vigorously pursued in terms of reallocation. If, in some states, it was done, it only added to the existing hatred and enmity between the Hindu caste and the Harijans, because in most cases these were the new settlers. The Naxalite movement that believes that the ends justify the means is the result of that class hatred between the rich landlords and the landless poor. Several innocent people were mercilessly killed in many states, especially Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

In the name of food self-sufficiency, agriculture is exempt from income tax. Although we do not call it industry, it is the mother of all activities in which millions and millions of people participate, whether actively or not, whose work group is much larger than that involved in the field of industry and unfortunately , is the one that is most disorganized. A mill laborer has more security than a farm worker; His own are better cared for, his voice is more audible, he has an entire interested organization behind him, to support, fight and even die for him. In the kind of socialist political system we have adopted, the industrial worker will certainly have his share of the profits some day in the future. He now he has at least the bonuses from him.

To change the entire system, there must first be a change in the perspective and attitudes of the people who are the lucky possessors of this vast gift of nature. If they realize that they are not really its keepers, but only the custodians, the change will be smooth, silent and peaceful. The change of heart is certainly better than the change by compulsion. But will a man who carries his child on his shoulders change easily, wherever he goes?