Bureaucrats Shed Crocodile Tears in Vidarbha

The recent interview given by Shri Sudhir Kumar Goyal, Divisional Commissioner, Incharge Relief, Amravati, Maharashtra, shows that politicians are pressing the bureaucrats into action for fire fighting in Vidarbha.
Shri Goyal has tried to shed a few tears, for suicidal cotton farmers, of Vidarbha, and rattled off figures of how much interest waivure, has been provided to the farmers on their loans. He says no government in the world can subsidize 60% farmers. He however, is pointedly silent on why these loans were advanced to farmers in the first place if cultivating cotton in Vidarbha is such a risky proposition. Did the ministers, government departments and senior responsible officers,not know that cultivating resource intensive cotton in Vidarbha is a risky proposition ?
I wish to point out some of the cotton export figures of India for the period January 2006 - September 2006 to show how Shri Goyal is trying to deflect attention from governmental dishonesty.
US Imports from India : Rise in percentage from previous year in same period -
1. Textiles and Apparel : 16.75% rise
2. Yarns : 136.96% rise
3. Fabrics : 27.36% rise
4. MadeUps : 8.53% rise
5. Apparel : 11.32% rise
6. Cotton Yarn : 209.66%
7. Cotton Fabrics : 22.11% rise
8. Blue Denim : 351% rise
9. Knit Fabrics : 150% rise
10. Cotton Hosiery : 358% rise
11. Cotton Bed Linen : 25.15% rise
12. Terry Towels : 47% rise
13. Cotton Apparel : 17.30% rise


Category Jan/Sep 2005 Jan/Sep 2006 %change % share in World Total for Jan/Sep 2006
World 300 364.656 336.993 -7.59 100.00
301 452.106 480.383 6.25 100.00
Total 816.762 817.376 0.08 100.00

India 300 5.301 8.828 66.53 2.62
301 15.628 62.520 300.06 13.01
Total 20.929 71.348 240.90 8.73

China 300 1.703 8.926 424.16 2.65
301 16.703 5.164 -69.08 1.07
Total 18.406 14.090 -23.45 1.72

Pakistan 300 157.856 166.951 5.76 49.54
301 131.361 145.280 10.60 30.24
Total 289.217 312.231 7.96 38.20
300 – Carded cotton yarn; 301 -- Combed cotton yarn
Conversion factor: 8.5 SME = 1 Kg.

The TEXPROCIL informs us "It is remarkable that Indian imports have grown from 5.301 MSME to 8.828 MSME. This performance is all the more commendable because in a falling market, India has shown a growth and that too when in the corresponding period of the previous year, the performance was meagre.."
"..The growth in case of India for Combed cotton yarn (Category 301) is tremendous rising from 15.628 MSME to 62.520 MSME. Looked at differently, the growth in imports of this product from all sources has been to the extent of 28.277 MSME of which the maximum has been on account of imports from India alone. Compared to this, imports from China have declined by 69%.."

Does Shri Goyal think that Indian cotton farmers are so foolish, as to accept his prescriptions regarding the reasons for their suicides ? How can he even think of insulting the cotton farmers of Vidarbha like this, in the face of the strong surge in Indian cotton exports ? Maybe with such intellectually dishonest bureaucrats, to look after them, the Vidarbha cotton farmers are better off having no hope rather than listen to such patently absurd agricultural prescriptions.

Incredible India. The only country where bureaucrats in the garb of Relief Commissioners have the job of giving sugar coated pills to farmers, instead of bitter medicine.

If Indian cotton exports, are doing so well in US markets, even against suppliers like China and Pakistan, why are the cotton growers of Vidarbha only only facing the prospects of suicides and sugar coated pills from senior bureaucrats shedding crocodile tears ?
Check out the cotton export figures for yourself and ask Shri Goyal what new story he wants to tell Vidarbha farmers ? - http://www.texprocil.com/monthly/usaqty_sep06.doc

Shri Goyal claims that the cotton farmer has become a bonded labourer on his own farm who cannot afford to even pay wages. The real answer he does not provide is whose bonded labourer is the Vidarbha cotton farmer ? Who is benefitting from the bondage of the Vidarbha farmer ?

But then maybe, Shri Goyal is after all, fire fighting on somebody else's behalf, and is just trying to concoct excuses and stories for his political masters. After all, everyone has to earn a living.

Farm Suicides in America and India

In a very touching gesture, the US Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mike Johanns, took note of the large scale farmer suicides in India, as also the ongoing national campaign to draw attention to the indifference of Indian Central government, to address the fundamental causes behind large scale farm suicides.
In India, the statistics are chilling - 150,000 farmer suicides in a decade. Considering that one farmer on an Indian farm supports and feeds a family of about 6-10 members, the calamity that the Indian countryside is facing becomes very obvious. But Americans have an easy explanation on how to swallow this bitter pill with a cheerful smile.
The Secretary was taking note of this fact during a visit to New Delhi in November 2006, and described the situation as "a complex issue". Complex it is all right, we all know that ! Thanks for telling us this Mr Secretary.
But the most bewildering part of the Secretary's observations about Indian farmer suicides, was when he opened his mouth on the issue of subsidies to farmers in US versus the subsidies to farmers in Europe.
Not to be side tracked, by the issue of large scale, Indian farmer suicides, the Secretary came up with the most insensitive, and callous of comparisons, that can possibly be made by some one who operates routinely in the political and foreign relations realm.
The Secretary made light of the "complex issue of farmer financial distress" by coming up with a formula, of comparing the Indian farm suicides with the farmer suicides in US. The sugar coated pill he tried to force down Indian politicians, and food policy analysts, was that - quote ".. in per capita terms, the number of suicides in both countries is the same"..unquote.
One can draw the obvious conclusion - an Indian farmer's life is equivalent to just 5% of an American farmers life. Three cheers to free world and new global order.
I would certainly not like to believe that the Secretary actually meant what he said. Because if he did, then one realizes the very insidious nature of the attitude of American politicians to farm issues in the developing countries and their total disregard for human life, when it comes to agricultural trade issues, and finding global markets for American farm produce.
This does remind me, of the observation of the Indian science historian, Dharampal, that - "The tendency of the western nations is that they will try to eliminate those that do not live up to the standard which they define as civilisation, this is the rule and it is considered correct. Darwin's theory comes much later, the main thing is that this is the way in which the west thinks. Survival of the fittest, and others have to either be fit or let to wither away - if not helped in the process. They will not be bothered if few lakh rural Indians die of natural calamity. This is not a problem for them, those people are any way not fit to live, so let them die will be the attitude."
Says quite a bit about free trade in agriculture, lobbyists and arm twisters, and the American and European friends of Indian farmers.