Should Agricultural Subsidies be stopped?

In my view, these subsidies should not be stopped. As most of our population depends on agriculture, these subsidies will enable them to do agriculture, thereby we can increase agriculture productions. Food is the basic need of every man, so if there is no agriculture how can we survive. Also by increasing the production we can top up our exporting, and thereby we can increase our foreign cash reserves. This will boost up an economy.

In my opinion, agricultural subsidies should not be stopped. The subsidies are a supporting pillar to the lacks of farmers in the country. Farming in our country is primarily not as advanced and mechanised as in other developed countries. Moreover, a large chunk of the Indian population is rural, and this sector directly affects them.

The majority of farmers own a very small portion of land like 2-10 acres, and they directly depend on the monsoon. Many of them lack the irrigation facilities and also don't own a bore-well/well to support their produce round the year. The plight of farmers in our country is very disturbing especially the small farmers. They can't afford to buy the hybrid seeds, fertilizers, pesticides again and again if a continuous drought/bad monsoon persists for a period of 1 or 2 years. Moreover, the investment they put off this period of time goes in vain. The whole budget and economics of a farmer crumbles, also if he has taken loan it goes on increasing year after year. The farmer is crushed under the cycle of debt and drought and is completely helpless. The farmer community in India is unorganized, unlike the trade unions/workers union. They only can helplessly watch this happening and only the govt can help it out.

Unless the agricultural sector is backed by the govt farmers in India cannot survive for long. The Indian economy will get shattered once this sector starts to degrade. Farmers should continue to get support from the govt by helpful programmes like the subsidy, to keep this sector profitable for the farmers. Unless the agricultural sector witnesses a complete makeover like the west it needs to be backed by govt.

Lastly it the govt moral responsibility to back certain aspects of the country like free education, mineral sector, PSU etc for the goodwill of the public. And agriculture is one of them of the Indian scenario.

Yes, the subsidies provided to poor farmers by giving them at lower prices for purchasing fertilizers, seeds, cheaper electricity for agriculture activities, cheaper agriculture bank loans, purchasing farm equipment at lower bank loans etc. But this has only negative impacts on our economy. We are dependent on import for fertilizers needs, therefore it is foreign currency reserves loss. The subsidized fertilizers do not have proper distribution mechanism this only increases the black marketing and sold the fertilizers to simple & illiterate farmers at the higher rates. Even the bank official demand bribe from farmers for agricultural loans.

According to me, rather than completely stopping Agricultural Subsidies, it should be reduced to certain individuals. India is a land of farmers, hence utmost consideration should be given to them. This doesn't mean that the Richer ones benefit at others behest. A scheme should be introduced where Farmers should compulsorily declare their income for the year. A limit should be set up henceforth and farmers falling below the prescribed limit should be provided with necessary financial aid.

This scheme would not only help the real in need farmers but also would declare the inflow of money present with farmers. The circulation of Black money via farmers can also be curbed through this.

No, agricultural subsidies should be continue. If it is stopped many small farmers will stop doing agriculture. If they stop doing agriculture than imports of agriculture products will increase and exports of agricultural products will increase. Through this our rupee value will decrease.

About my opinion, the things are wrong about the agricultural field because more 70% people having an economy in agree. So if we do not get support, Agricultural then the basic hazard to our people. If we give a subsidy to agriculture then all over to create good business of our nation in any field.

On the part of me agriculture is the backbone of India, so that we should give subsidies to those farmers who really need and we distribute this facility to farmer according to their requirement. So subsidies are good as well as bad so that it depends on the situation.

My point of view the agricultural subsidies for those farmer who having marginal and small scale farmer it's important for increasing their agricultural quality production and also helpful for increasing National Agricultural Production 80 % farmer are depend on agriculture subsidies. Agricultural Subsidies is most important factor for increasing agricultural production.

In my opinion government should prefer subsidies as one of the former P.M Lal Bahudar Shastri quoted a slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kissan" which shows the importance of agriculture in our country. As food is ours necessity but if the production becomes low then how we sustain in this world. Government should make efficient which is helpful for all needy farmers.

Subsidy need not be stopped but to be regulated. Regulation means the cyclical process of allocation and supervision. For areas like agriculture and because of the huge demographic dividend of our nation, the sensitiveness of the sector is important and thus considered as priority sector which are not allowed to be neglected for the national interest. We were having a 50% GDP contribution of agriculture during the birth of the nation and gradually reduced to 14% these days, this is due to the shift in the nation's priority from agriculture to Service industry. Stopping of subsidies will further top up the issue and a further reduction in the GDP contribution of agriculture is not advisable. Here as I said in the beginning, regulation needs to play an important role to curb the issues associated with subsidy schemes like poor targeting of the subsidy, misuse of subsidy, lack of proper planning in case of devising the subsidy instruments like as in case of urea subsidy etc.

In the next face, one should think that we have started giving subsidy for decades back and still we are doing the same. This need to be introspected without delay. The very motto of subsidy is the welfare of the nation. Giving welfare implies the equalization of the society. Proper policies/schemes to be devised to eliminate subsidy for a long term benefits like adoption of modern technologies, developing the R&D industry etc. The policy of Government should be welfare oriented as in the DPSP of the Constitution but it should not be endless and the agricultural industry which contributes around 70% of labour force must be independent of financial aides like subsidy and grants in future.

Hence this is not the right time to stop the subsidies in the agricultural sector and at the same time we should not have a mind of depending the Government for long. Instead of giving subsidies regulate it and utilize the saved subsidies for the development of the society itself like infrastructure building, R&D, promotion and adoption of newer technologies which all will benefit the agricultural sector (in this context) in the real sense. Therefore conclusion can be drawn in such a way that stoppage of subsidy is not good to the current scenario of India and a proper regulation of subsidy is highly needed with an eye of elimination of subsidy in future.

Thanks.

Viswaraj BR.