Farmers’ woes

If you are used to living in abnormal conditions, it becomes a problem when you face a normal situation. This is what seems to have happened to farmers in north India. With the monsoon behaving normally this year, farmers have been caught unawares, as they had got accustomed to an erratic monsoon for many years in the past.People residing in some areas of north India, and farmers in particular, had taken recourse to innovative agricultural practices and a shift in crop pattern to tackle the problem of insufficient rains. But this year all their calculations seem to have gone awry.Weary after years of dependence on the monsoon, farmers in UP have started sowing crops that require less water, such as pulses and oilseeds. Just when life seemed to be on a somewhat smooth track, excessive rains created havoc, destroying all such crops. Rainwater flooded the fields, completely ruining the standing crops. Besides, there is widespread fear that stagnant water may lead to plant diseases, further adding to farmers’ woes.We all hear about global concerns over the impact of climate change, but it is farmers who will be hit the hardest. Heavy floods, drought and other ecological disturbances have been wreaking havoc around the world. A country like India, where agriculture is still largely dependent on the monsoon, needs to think of ways to tide over these threats from nature. Look at the misery of the people of Bihar after the Kosi river changed its course? Closer cooperation between affected countries is the need of the hour.The times have really changed. Why, otherwise, should a normal monsoon be a cause of worry, even threatening the livelihood of some, as it happened in Uttar Pradesh?
Ajay Kumar Shukla