India is a land of farmers. It is called so because majority of Indians are directly or indirectly involved in agricultural activities. It would not be wrong to say that farmers are the backbone of our economy. In the following essays I have tried to discuss the problems being faced by the Indian farmers and have also given my opinion on it. Hope you will find my essays helpful.
Long and Short Essay on Indian Farmer in English
Indian farmers are the backbone of the Indian economy but everything is not going right for them. Their life is getting more and more difficult day by day.
In the following essays I have tried to answer the question, “why nobody wants to become a farmer and also, as to why those in farming want to move to other occupations”? The answer to the questions is not straightforward.
In the following Indian Farmer essay I have tried to touch all the issues which the farmers of our country are facing currently. Hope you will appreciate my efforts for essay on Indian Farmer.
Short Essay on Indian Farmer – Essay 1 (200 words)
Some one has truly said, “India is a land of villages and farmers are the soul of the country.” I also feel the same. Farmers are a respected lot and farming is considered a noble profession in our country. They are also called “Annadata”, which means “food provider”. According to this logic, farmers in India should be a happy and prosperous lot but the irony is that the reality is exactly opposite to it.
This is the reason why kids of farmers don’t want to pursue the profession of their parents. According to a government data, around two and a half thousand farmers leave farming and migrate to cities daily in search of livelihood. If this trend continues, then a time may come when there will no farmers left and our country will turn from “food surplus”, which we are now to “food deficient”.
I used to think that when the prices of commodities go up, the farmer benefits but the reality is that most of the money is grabbed by the middle men. So, the farmer is always a looser. When there is a bumper crop, the price of the products fall and at many times he has to sell his produce at a throwaway price to the government or to the middlemen and when there is drought or flood, then we all know what happens to the poor farmer.
The condition of the farmers is getting from bad to worse. If something is not done urgently, there will be nothing left to save.
Essay on Importance of Indian Farmer – Essay 2 (300 words)
Introduction
I think the farmer plays the same role for our country as the backbone plays for the human body. The problem is that this backbone (our farmer) is suffering from many problems. Sometimes, many of them can’t even afford two square meals a day. Despite all the hardships which they face, they continue to play an important role. Some of them are discussed below.
Importance of Indian Farmer
- They are the Food Producers of the Country
Before late 1970s India was not able to produce sufficient food grains to meet its requirements. In other words, India was not self-sufficient in terms of food grains. We used to import large quantities of food grains from abroad (mainly from USA). It went good for some time but afterwards the USA started blackmailing us on trade.
They even threatened to stop the supply of food grains totally. The then Prime Minister Lal bahadur Shastri accepted the challenge and gave the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” and took some drastic measures, which resulted in the green revolution and because of that we became self-reliant in terms of food grains and even started exporting the surplus produces.
India has never looked back since then. Our farmers have never let us down, even though they are facing many problems. They have been able to meet the demand of the growing population.
- One of the Biggest Contributor to the Indian economy
Farmers contribute around 17% to the Indian economy. Even after that they continue to live a life of poverty. There are many reasons for it. If we are able to overcome various obstacles, then there is a good chance that this percentage will improve.
- All Farmers are Self Employed
Farmers do not depend on any other source for employment. They are self employed and also create employment for others.
Conclusion
We have come a long way since Independence but still a lot has to be done. I am sure, if we work sincerely, we would be able to overcome the problems which we are facing today and God willing our villages will become as beautiful and prosperous as they are shown in Bollywood movies.
Essay on life of an Indian Farmer – Essay 3 (400 words)
Introduction
Persons like me, who have lived in cities for the whole of their lives, have a very wrong idea about village life. They believe what is shown in Bollywood movies. I was no different. I also thought that in villages, women move around in their designer lehengas. They go to the well for fetching water and move here and there happily. I also believed that in the evening they gather around and danced together on the movie songs like “sun mitwa” or “mere desh ki dharti”.
Life of an Indian farmer
One fine day I told my dad, “what a nice life these village folks have…”. On this my dad laughed loudly and suggested me to visit our ancestral village which is in Lucknow. Last time when I went to our village, I was 4 years old. I remembered very few details from my last visit or better to say I had no idea what a village looked like.
I took a week’s leave from office and boarded the train with my father. I was really very excited. At the railway station we were greeted by our relative (my cousin brother) who had come to receive us. I asked him, “how we will go home”? On this, he showed his bullock cart. On this my reaction was, “What!”. My dad told me, “son, this is just the beginning….”.
On reaching home firstly, I decided to answer my natures call. So, I asked, “where is the toilet”? On this I was took to an open field. I was told that there is no toilet in the village and all the villagers including women have to go in the open field. After that I decided to have a look around. I found broken houses made with mud and bamboo with men and women in old and torn clothes (definitely not designer), working very hard in fields to get their ends meet.
An used plow and a pair of feeble bullock stands in every house as a testimony to the strenuous life of the occupants. Maximum houses had no electricity connection and even those houses which had electricity connection used oil lamps because electricity was rare. Nobody had a gas connection, so food was cooked on wooden or coal fire which generated smoke and that caused various lung diseases.
I found an old woman coughing. I asked her, “Are you having your medicines”? On this she gave a blank look and said, “Beta, I don’t have money to buy medicines or go to a private hospital.” Other persons told me that the there is no government clinic nearby. On hearing this I really got emotional. The plight of the Indian farmers is unimaginable as they work tirelessly throughout the year in the absence of basic necessities.
I decided to join my cousin brother who was working in the fields. When I reached there, I found him and some other farmers arguing with some men. I was told that they were bank officials and had come to give a formal notice (of non-payment of EMIs) to the farmers. My cousin brother told me that no body in the village was able to pay EMIs this time as they had a bad crop this time.
I ate my food and went to sleep. After some time, I woke up to drink water. I found bantu (my cousin brother’s son) reading in candle light. I asked, “its late, go to sleep”. On this he replied, “Uncle, I have a test tomorrow”. On listening this I felt that everything is not lost and there is still a ray of hope.
Conclusion
Our villages and farmers are not the same as I had thought but I have a strong feeling that one day it will become the village as it is shown in Bollywood movies.
Essay on Role of an Indian Farmer – Essay 4 (500 words)
Introduction
India has a diverse culture. In India, around 22 major languages and 720 dialects are spoken. People of all major religions like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism live here. People here are engaged in all sorts of professions but agriculture is the main occupation here. This is why India is also known as a “Krishi Pradhan desh”.
Role of an Indian Farmer
This is the reason why a major percentage of our population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. It would not be wrong to say that farmers are the backbone of our nation and also, they are the driving force behind the Indian economy. Yet all is not well with Indian farmers. They continue to live a life of poverty and misery. Still they play an important role in nation building. Some of the important roles of farmers are discussed below.
- Food Security is National Security
As we all know that food is the basic necessity of life. This is why in olden times, food grains were stored in large quantities in forts, so that in times of war, when outside supply would be stopped by the enemy, still there would be food to eat. The same logic is valid even today. As we are “self-reliant” in terms of food grains, no country can blackmail or threaten us. This became possible only because of the hard work of our farmers.
- Drivers of the Indian Economy
Farmers contribute around 17% to Indian economy. Indian agricultural exports were around 33 billion US dollars in 2016-17.
Everything is not Right with Indian Farmers
One would expect Indian farmers to be prosperous because of the value of the exports, but the reality is just the opposite. They are committing suicides, are trying to leave the profession, migrating to cities, and could not even able to manage 2 square meals a day.
There are so many things that have to be blamed but one thing is sure that if the problem continued soon we may become a “food importer country” from “food exporter country” which we are now.
Due to large scale agitations and farmer suicides the issue of farmer problems have been highlighted but “are we doing enough”? That’s the million-dollar question we have to answer. When our “Annadata” is being forced to commit suicide, then really it is some thing to worry about.
Conclusion
In the last I would only like to say that, its high time, we have to do some thing urgently otherwise things will definitely go worst.
Long Essay on Why Indian Farmer Suicides – Essay 5 (600 words)
Introduction
This is a very sensitive topic which should be handled very carefully but are we handling it properly? That’s a million-dollar question. As the problem is complex, therefore the solution is also not straightforward but if we genuinely want to save our country from going into a turmoil we have to solve this problem. We did not heed to the warning signs which have been coming for quite some time. Now, when the problem has taken monstrous proportions, we are searching for a quick fix solution. I strongly feel that there is no quick fix solution to this.
As the problem has taken time to grew, so in the same way, it will take time to settle. So, it’s high time, we must start doing something concrete rather than indulging in chest-beating.
Severity of the Problem
The severity of the problem could be judged from the fact that around 3 lakh (government estimate, other sources say it’s 10 times more) farmers have committed suicide since 1995. The main reason cited for these suicides is the farmer’s inability to repay the loans taken by him due to various reasons. The dubious distinction of topping this list goes to Maharashtra.
According to another estimate (government data) around a bit more than 50 percent of farmers are in debt. Maximum are poor and many are forced to live below poverty line. Around 95% of the farmers are forced to sell there produce below the official MSP (Minimum support price) and their average annual income is less than twenty one thousand rupees.
This is why many farmers are quitting farming and trying to move to other professions and this is also the reason why no one wants to become a farmer.
Reasons for Agriculture being in such a Bad Shape
- Changing of Climate due to Global Warming (Flood and Drought)
Due to global warming and some other reasons, the climate of the earth is changing. This is why the frequency and severity of floods and droughts have increased, which has resulted in large scale crop damage.
- Lack of Irrigation Facilities
Maximum farmers depend on rains as they don’t have proper means of irrigation, like, diesel pump sets, canal or dam water etc. this means that if it’s a bad monsoon then they will have a bad harvest.
- Smaller Land Holdings
In India maximum farmers have small to very small plots of land on which they do farming. This makes farming unprofitable.
- Expensive Seeds and Fertilizers
Many farmers do not have money to buy good quality seeds and fertilizers. So, they use inferior quality seeds and this is why there per acre output suffers.
- Loan not Available Easily
Farming, like any other business requires investment, which the poor farmers don’t have. The conditions and paperwork of public sector banks are too much. So, they have to go to private money lenders, who charge high interest rates and if the crop fails due to some reason, then it becomes very difficult for them to repay the loans.
- Lack of Awareness of new Scientific Methods
Most of the farmers have very little education or they are illiterate. So, they are not aware of the new farming and scientific methods of cultivation. This is why government has launched tollfree helpline numbers on which farmers can ask their problems.
- Corruption at Various Levels
Due to corruption at various levels the implementation of various schemes and subsides get affected and so the benefit of it does not reach to farmers.
Solutions for Improving the Condition of Farmers
- Proper Insurance
As crop failure can occur due to many reasons, therefore proper insurance facilities would be quite beneficial to the farmers. It would be better if the partial or whole of the premium could be paid by the government as many farmers are poor and can’t afford to pay the premium.
- Compensation
From time to time government provides compensation to farmers in case of crop failure. I think it is a temporary measure and not a permanent solution.
- Availability of Easy Loans
This is one of the important factors. If easy loans are provided to farmers, their condition will surely improve as they will be able to buy good quality seeds from the market.
- Reduction in Corruption
If we are able to control corruption then the benefit of the various schemes will reach farmers and their condition will get improved.
Conclusion
I agree that there is no easy solution to this problem but if we start working with good intension, there is a chance that one day our Indian farmers will also become as prosperous as American farmers are now.
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