Should Agricultural Subsidies be stopped?

Population is dependent on agricuture and it needs support. However, it needs support in form of investment not as subsidy. We need to rationalize the subsidies e. G. Subsidized or free electricity only leading to the exploitation of the priceless water and leading to salinity problem to the granary belt of punjab and haryana. Better charging electricity cost and water prices can be asource of revenue which can be invested in developing irrigation facilities for all including small and marginal farmers or providing uninteruppted power supply. It need a political and administrative will in the country.

Hai friend, this is my view we all know that India is a agricultural country here most of people are depend on agriculture. Indian farmer is very poor because of indeterminate and most of people is illiterate that how to sell the aggro product. And on other side farmer use the traditional way of production because of poverty they are not capable to bye the any latest technology so production and productivity may decrease. So, the government must be help to our farmer in way of subsidies, provide the latest technology at low rate and give the knowledge about the seed.

Like use of scientific concept which kind of seed will suitable for which kind of land with verification. And for buying basic material seed, urea for that also government help them via subsidies. If our farming will improve more and more it give the low unemployment as well better rewards then other sector.

Everybody knows that farmer produces food grain what they take as food. Everybody should understand that farmer not only gives us food also he supplies oxygen from his plants/crops. Also he plays a role to make rain by evepo-transpiration from his plants. He only gets a little money for his food. But what about the oxygen and rains made by him. If you consider these then the farmer is cheated by the government. He has the right to get the value. Due to overburden of loan, our many farmers are suicide. Our government should waive out his loan and should give higher and higher subsidy to him.

Unarguably every farmer needs subsidy in present political system.

Subsidy can be removed provided farmers are given the opportunity to fix price for their products like others in other sectors and are allowed to export their products with out govt intervention.

We need to understand the whole lot of issues and uncertainties of farming community.

How many of us go to work when our transportation expenses are more than what we earn?

How long do we do business when the business is running in to losses?

But, farmer do not have secondary option.

Input cost for farming like pesticides, insecticides, nutrients, manure, labour charges, diesel charges, machinery charges like tractor etc. , charges for repairing water pumps all these have increased abnormally. For example male labour charge increased 3. 5x to 4x. In-spite of this availability of labour is not easy in most of the villages.

On top of this, adequate power is not available for farmers. Low/voltage issues burn motors frequently and transformer issues all these expenses goes from farmers pocket. On top of this bribe for transco guys.

If these things go well, weather may not support. Some times drought and at times heavy rains and floods.

Even if every thing goes goes fine and once the product comes to market, minimum support price that is promised to the farmer is not given many times. In the present scenario, even if the farmer gets minimum support price they will run in to losses. And this is the reason why farmers started agitation declaring crop holiday in some parts of the country and some ransacking agri markets.

People want all the pulses, food grains, milk, meat, eggs at a cheaper price and no one fights for the farmer who feeds billions of mouths.

If oil companies goes in to losses govt jumps in and increases price more than 10 to 15 times in few years and why not the same for the poor farmer?

It is true that poor people suffer if food prices go high. This does mean that the farmers have to give subsidized products to all making losses working under hot sun/rain walking between snakes and scorpions. In a way farmer is giving food security to all billionaires and poor workers investing his resources and in turn making loss for what he/she do.

Moreover, one need to notice that Indian youth are no longer interested in doing farming. Number of youth doing farming are decreasing to a greater extent. None neither the farmers son nor the farm workers son interested nor their parents want their kids to do farming. This explains the scenario. Who is going to feed billions of mouths.

Most shocking thing is that none of them either from urban or rural areas are not showing interest to elope their daugher to a young farmers even if they are holding 30 acres of land. These guyz and their families are really frustrated as they are cornered in the society.

All the above factors are forcing people to move out of agriculture. What will happen next. Corporate agriculture? If so, are the corporate going to sell products at a cheaper price? They'll give millions to those who help them in making things easier by forcing farmers out of this sector. Where do they collect these millions from?

The above facts are based on my experience and observation.

Indian Agricultural Sector has many challenge on its field. Brilliant Brains of India don't involve them in this sector as it is not so worthy to them. Larger percentage of Indian farmers have less land and are basically illiterate or less educated -these are the obstacles to understand and apply the technology. Moreover the Government Subsidies don't reach to themselves as the larger part of the subsidies are theft by the middlemen or bought by the rich farmers. Due to gambling on monsoon and for less use of Alternative methods like Crop Rotation have made it riskier whereas Crop Insurance facility to the farmers are not so wide. In the case of Irrigation, they are more dependent on Underground Water and lesser in Canal Water -which is more costly. The Infrastructure of Storing Crop, like Cold Storage are not available on every area -this is why 30% of Yearly Production of Vegetables in India are rotten.
Marginal Farmers can't sell their product directly in the Market -this is how they run themselves in loss and gradually take steps toward suicide. Government should take appropriate steps to face these challenges- providing higher rate of subsidies to the marginal farmers and lower rate to the rich farmers; providing appropriate teaching of innovative methods to every farmer; growth of Canal and Tank Irrigation should be accelerated and a Large Chain of Cold Storage should be created and most importantly, Low Rate Loans and Crop Insurance Facility should be provided to every marginal farmer. The Govt should also Inspect the Proper Distribution of Subsidy. This is how the Government should meet the challenges and ensure the Farm Productivity beside protecting the Farmers Life.

Subsidies should be given to the farmers so that we can get food.

I think the subsidies which is given to the farmers is should be distinguished well in the poor farmers and rich farmers.

I think there should be tax on the farmers because as per the income tax limits up to 180000/ there is no taxes applied. And as we know the poor Indian farmers unable to cross that limit so it will give advantage to catch rich farmers who shows there BLACK MOONEY in WHITE MONEY so those farmers will be taxable under IT ACTS.

So only with emotionally decisions we can't able to correct decision for that we have to take decision with mind.

Generally, Farmers are poor but we all know that in many States there are rich Farmers who have all the luxuries of life like own bungalows, expensive cars etc. The Subsidy system does not differntiate the rich and poor. For e.g. , Fertiliser subsidy would be enjoyed by all the farmers when the poor needs it the most. If we cannot differentiate at the subsidy level, then we should certainly charge income tax on agricultural income above a certain limit, say Rs. 1, 50, 000/- progressively. This would take care of the anomaly in the system and would also protect the poor farmers.

As we all know India is a agriculture based country. More than 66% of population depends upon agriculture. And farmers are the only people who is taking care of our resources. So that's our duty to provide help by giving subsidies. By doing this government increase their moral and they take more interest in agriculture as its a good source of income for them. And also it directly helps our economy and we are able to keep your resources safe.

A simple answer to this question is a big 'NO'. In a country where each day farmer's are committing suicide because of their inability to pay back the loans taken, there is no reason to stop the subsidies, rather, it should be increased. But I feel these days there is a greater need to get rid of the pesticides and fertilizers based farming hence I feel that MORE SUBSIDIES to be given to farmers doing ORGANIC FARMING, the organic produce should have more minimum support price than the pesticides based products.