The statistical details in the article, “ >Missing the big, bleak picture ” (April 3), are what make clear the oddities faced by agriculturists that discourage them from pursuing their profession. I am a farmer from a rainfed village in Tamil Nadu and find that stretches of dry land in neighbouring villages have already been appropriated by realtors at throwaway prices. MGNREGA helps poor farmers to an extent but unless basic agricultural needs are made available in an inexpensive way, farming is bound to become a neglected profession. There must be a countrywide survey that identifies arable land as well as the mineral content of barren land before acquiring land for industrial use. This will pave the way for the smooth passage of the land Bill.
B. Gurumurthy,
Madurai
As a farmer hailing from the Delta district of Tamil Nadu, I back the weight and authenticity of every word in the article. It is not the acquisition of his land that hurts a farmer more but the unviable and uneconomical avocation which he is engaged in. Given a choice, most farmers will be only too willing to stop farming and look for another vocation in urban areas. If governments do not address the real issues faced by farmers, the day is not far off when the rural economy will be doomed beyond redemption. There has to be frank discussion of the long-standing ills that afflict the farmer community. The Land Acquisition Bill is more about political gains.
S.Vembu,
Thathuvancheri, Tamil Nadu
