The political class appears to be supporting the demand for comprehensive farm loan waivers without thought (“Congress’s M.P. battle begins in Mandsaur”, June 7). There is no doubt that the agriculture sector needs government support, but loan waivers are not the solution. On the contrary, expenditure on loan waivers will eventually leave less fiscal space for public expenditure in agriculture. India needs ‘massive investment in areas such as irrigation, water conservation, better storage facilities, market connectivity, ensuring minimum support prices for crops, and, finally, agricultural research’. The problems affecting Indian agriculture are structural and need long-term solutions. Loan waivers will only end up complicating the problem. The Indian economy has suffered due to competitive populism in the past. It’s time parties and governments addressed the real issues.
K.M.K. Murthy,
Secunderabad
There is no doubt that the agrarian sector is in distress but no government has taken steps to resolve the issues. This is because almost all political parties consider farmers as vote banks. Solutions should be in the form of uninterrupted supply of water, electricity, quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides at concessional rates; top class storage and marketing facilities; modern techniques in farming such as organic farming and drip irrigation. Instead of demanding these facilities from governments, it is a pity that farmers want just a waiver of farm loans. The government and the farming community need to work in tandem to make agriculture a profitable industry. Short-term gains in the form of subsidies, waivers and freebies should be phased out.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,
Hyderabad
