Farmers of the state have helped India gain self-sufficiency in food production. Jatinder Kaur seeks to find out if they can replicate the success abroad
Taking a leaf out of the book of farmers from Punjab who have made it big in South and Central American countries, the Punjab government is now exploring opportunities to lease land in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, grow crops there and ship it home for domestic consumption. Sources in the state government say that thousands of hectares of barren land is available in these countries which can be used for agricultural purposes. Even the weather in these countries is apparently conducive to cultivation of pulses, soya etc, the sources claim.
A delegation under the leadership of Union minister of agriculture Sharad Pawar recently visited these countries. Punjab’s deputy chief minister and other officials of the agriculture department were also a part of this delegation. Balwinder Sidhu, director of state agriculture department, said, ''The state government wants to facilitate leasing or buying of land in Central and South American countries… We want to work out the modalities to enable farmers from the state to start cultivation in these countries.”
Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is enthusiastic about the prospects. After coming back from the visit, he spoke to journalists about the plans: ''In Central and South America, hundreds of acres of land lies barren. Sufficient water is available for irrigating the fields. I have asked the agriculture department to prepare a report on this proposal as soon as possible. The populations in these countries are very low. There are many opportunities for farmers to make good profit from cash crops.” It should be noted that the policy for buying land in these countries is very flexible. Anybody who wants to cultivate can buy land without any hassle.
Simarpal Singh is a living example. The man from Amritsar district in Punjab moved to Argentina with his family about five years back. He is managing a 30,000-hectare farm of groundnut, soya and corn for a Singapore-based company. He is called the ‘Peanut King’ of Argentina.
Sukhbir Badal says, ''India imports a huge quantity of vegetable oil, soya etc. If we can provide an opportunity to farmers to cultivate land in these countries, we can use the production for meeting domestic demand.” He adds that the Centre should provide credit facilities to farmers who want to do farming abroad on the lines of industry. Badal says that the government should encourage farmers to invest money in farming abroad. ''To fulfil the growing need of food grain in the country, we have to think seriously about the opportunities of farming abroad,'' he thinks.
Dr H.S. Randhawa, retired professor of Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, said, ''It is good that the government is thinking about providing opportunities to farmers for cultivating lands across the seas. But at the same time it is important that the government first ensures the health of the farm sector of the state which is on the verge of a collapse. All farmers of Punjab can not go abroad to farm. So, it is important to take care of their needs on a priority basis. The government should think about a new model for agriculture because the Green Revolution is not working any longer. The farming sector should be handled more professionally. It is in dire need of a thorough overhaul. Without this, the agriculture sector can not survive.”
On the other hand, Master Madan Lal, vice-president of Kheti Virasat Mission, an NGO working for organic farming in the state, says, ''First, we have turned the land of Punjab toxic by rampant use of fertilisers and pesticides in the name of Green Revolution. And now we are going to do the same thing in Central and South American countries. In reality, this is a capitalist game and all states are becoming puppet regimes controlled by these capitalist companies. If the government really wants to do something for farmers, it should pay more attention to the demands of the farmers. Why is the government not taking any serious step to help those farmers who are under debt?”
The concept of farming abroad is not new. The Confederation of Potato Farmers has coordinated with the Ethiopian government to take 50,000 hectares on lease. President of the body, Sukhjit Singh Bhatti, said, ''We have planned to take 50,000 hectares on lease in Ethopia for farming. We are going to Ethiopia in the second week of October for finalising the deal with the government. The Ethiopian government has offered to make agricultural exports tax free. The lease rate of the land will be Rs 400 per hectare per annum. For first five years, farmers would not need to pay anything. This land is suitable for cultivation of pulses and corn.”
The farmers of the state have shown their mettle in making the country self-sufficient in food production. Now only time will tell whether they will be able to replicate this success abroad.
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Taking a leaf out of the book of farmers from Punjab who have made it big in South and Central American countries, the Punjab government is now exploring opportunities to lease land in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, grow crops there and ship it home for domestic consumption. Sources in the state government say that thousands of hectares of barren land is available in these countries which can be used for agricultural purposes. Even the weather in these countries is apparently conducive to cultivation of pulses, soya etc, the sources claim.
A delegation under the leadership of Union minister of agriculture Sharad Pawar recently visited these countries. Punjab’s deputy chief minister and other officials of the agriculture department were also a part of this delegation. Balwinder Sidhu, director of state agriculture department, said, ''The state government wants to facilitate leasing or buying of land in Central and South American countries… We want to work out the modalities to enable farmers from the state to start cultivation in these countries.”
Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is enthusiastic about the prospects. After coming back from the visit, he spoke to journalists about the plans: ''In Central and South America, hundreds of acres of land lies barren. Sufficient water is available for irrigating the fields. I have asked the agriculture department to prepare a report on this proposal as soon as possible. The populations in these countries are very low. There are many opportunities for farmers to make good profit from cash crops.” It should be noted that the policy for buying land in these countries is very flexible. Anybody who wants to cultivate can buy land without any hassle.
Simarpal Singh is a living example. The man from Amritsar district in Punjab moved to Argentina with his family about five years back. He is managing a 30,000-hectare farm of groundnut, soya and corn for a Singapore-based company. He is called the ‘Peanut King’ of Argentina.
Sukhbir Badal says, ''India imports a huge quantity of vegetable oil, soya etc. If we can provide an opportunity to farmers to cultivate land in these countries, we can use the production for meeting domestic demand.” He adds that the Centre should provide credit facilities to farmers who want to do farming abroad on the lines of industry. Badal says that the government should encourage farmers to invest money in farming abroad. ''To fulfil the growing need of food grain in the country, we have to think seriously about the opportunities of farming abroad,'' he thinks.
Dr H.S. Randhawa, retired professor of Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, said, ''It is good that the government is thinking about providing opportunities to farmers for cultivating lands across the seas. But at the same time it is important that the government first ensures the health of the farm sector of the state which is on the verge of a collapse. All farmers of Punjab can not go abroad to farm. So, it is important to take care of their needs on a priority basis. The government should think about a new model for agriculture because the Green Revolution is not working any longer. The farming sector should be handled more professionally. It is in dire need of a thorough overhaul. Without this, the agriculture sector can not survive.”
On the other hand, Master Madan Lal, vice-president of Kheti Virasat Mission, an NGO working for organic farming in the state, says, ''First, we have turned the land of Punjab toxic by rampant use of fertilisers and pesticides in the name of Green Revolution. And now we are going to do the same thing in Central and South American countries. In reality, this is a capitalist game and all states are becoming puppet regimes controlled by these capitalist companies. If the government really wants to do something for farmers, it should pay more attention to the demands of the farmers. Why is the government not taking any serious step to help those farmers who are under debt?”
The concept of farming abroad is not new. The Confederation of Potato Farmers has coordinated with the Ethiopian government to take 50,000 hectares on lease. President of the body, Sukhjit Singh Bhatti, said, ''We have planned to take 50,000 hectares on lease in Ethopia for farming. We are going to Ethiopia in the second week of October for finalising the deal with the government. The Ethiopian government has offered to make agricultural exports tax free. The lease rate of the land will be Rs 400 per hectare per annum. For first five years, farmers would not need to pay anything. This land is suitable for cultivation of pulses and corn.”
The farmers of the state have shown their mettle in making the country self-sufficient in food production. Now only time will tell whether they will be able to replicate this success abroad.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
The hunt for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation for students
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in India
INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES
After Irom Sharmila last year, Anna Hazare wins IIPM's 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of Rs. 1cr. To be handed over on 9th May
Role of Media in the moulding of youth
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