FOOD SHORTAGE REMEDIES

FARMERS WOES AND GROWING NEED FOR FOOD

Off late we have all experienced the abnormal price rise for food commodities especially day to day provisions and vegetables. The equation is simple in economic terms, the higher the demand the higher the price goes. This simple logic of demand and supply aptly shows why the prices are going higher and higher. We have all contributed to this by not giving enough for our farmers and making their job the most thankless and they have been the most ignored lot among our populace.

If the signs are true and if we are presuming that the world is facing a food and water shortage then the crisis has only begun now. The predictions of some hard thinkers are that we have only reached a stage which is bad, but now onwards it may become worse if drastic and urgent measures are not taken by the whole world as one. This unlike any other issues needs very serious consideration and if we let go this one time, then almost one third of the worlds population is in danger of a famine like situation when people die out of hunger and thirst.

Though the world still has not realized the ominous signs which are obviously pointing towards suffering of the poorest among the world populace, who will be hit early only for others to be effected later. The thrust for all and sundry is to concentrate harder on the agriculture front which is the most pressing issue right now. We have to at least double our production of grains and vegetables as early as possible because the stock is definitely on the decline and some signs such as global warming and unpredictable weather conditions only add to our already precarious position in terms of food and water.

The 97 percentage of our water on earth is not drinkable the rest of 3 percent is also decreasing. Imagine for every tea spoon full of sugar needs at least 250 liters of water to grow the sugar cane required for the production of sugar. The cost of drinking water [pure] has almost caught up with the cost of milk. First signs will be of epidemics born out of contaminated water. Other famine like situations will follow later and most vulnerable lot will always be the poor who can not afford to purchase water if the situation warrants it.

I remember a couple of decades earlier in Kerala people were advised to leave farming and to start earning as entrepreneurs of small scale industrial units. They were discouraged to do farming which was not at all profitable; instead others who made foray in to other sectors were making more money than a farmer who was always fighting and struggling to survive. Government policies all throughout these last few decades have been to encourage other sectors and not farming. The farmers were at the mercy of the god almighty alone for there were very few takers who wanted their children to do farming or enter agriculture production. It was the most disastrous action which has now resulted in gloomy days ahead for the whole world, because the basic needs of any living being first is food and water.




Gone by are the days for remorse or regrets, the need of the hour is to start encouraging people to enter agriculture sector and help all throughout the process for seed selection, bio technology and micro biology will help us in higher production from what ever land there is left for farming, the second phase should be the provision of fertilizers and the assistance and expert advices should also see them through to the harvesting period. The job does not end there, for we also have to ensure that the farmer get a good price for his products. For that to happen, the government can purchase directly from the farmers by giving them value for their work and encouraging their efforts. Such prolonged efforts only can save the world. For our economic stability we have to then supply their products to the ultimate end users after subsidizing. The short fall in capital has to be born by the big corporate and other rich people who have to share such short falls, only then can we survive as a country or for that matter any country in the world. We all can see that among our farming community the present generation is probably the last generation who has willingly spent their life time farming, the next generation will certainly not go their parents’ way because they all must have witnessed the hardship faced by their farming parents, some have even lost their parents out of sheer helplessness which has led to most number of farmer suicides in our country. We must be feeling ashamed of ourselves for having been naïve towards their needs, had we taken timely and appropriate measures lots of lives could have been saved. Now our apathy have made us facing a crisis situation, better be late than never.

[Thoughts for a better tomorrow, by M.Balakrishnan, 16a 3rd layout,Meena Estate , Coimbatore -641028 Res.Phone 0422 2310637, Cell.9894474174 ]