UNI – Online

Anger, agitation and unrest are not uncommon when farmers’ interests are at stake in Punjab. It has been over seven months since Parliament enacted three laws, deemed as “anti-farmers”, evoking a strong reaction from the farming community across the country. The passage of these bills had been opposed tooth and nail in Punjab and Haryana as according to farmers’ leaders, the legislations “do not address the concerns of farmers” vis-a-vis the Minimum Support Price. The laws are regarded as pro-corporates who would “dominate Indian food and agriculture business”, they say. The Government, however, has repeatedly claimed that the bills that replaced ordinances, are aimed at the transformation of agriculture and raising of farmers’ income. The legislation will ...

The Hindu Business Line – Online

Bharat Patil, Baba Sawant, Sammad Kanwade and many other farmers in the Sangli district of Maharashtra are still not able to understand the hullabaloo over “resilience” and “growth” in the agriculture sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

India’s agricultural sector was touted as a silver lining amid the adversities of Covid-induced lockdowns last fiscal, with farming and allied activities clocking a growth of 3.4 per cent during 2020-21 (first advance estimate).

YourStory – Online

The village of Kharakdi in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district is like many others in India. According to the 2011 census, there were 330 households in the village and the majority of residents are smallholdings farmers who depend on their harvest and on agricultural labour to make ends meet. Among them is Laxmiben Dabhi, who comes from a family of farmers.

Now in her early 50s, she lives in a joint family of eight that owns five bighas (three acres) of land. Despite owning land, the produce was seasonal and there was not enough money to feed her family. “I decided to look for jobs outside farming. I worked as a casual labourer and as a diamond polisher for six months at ...