Dr. Prasanna Mishra	NEED FOR AGRI-ENTERPRISE IN ORISSA -By Dr. Prasanna Mishra
Blog	Posted By: hindtodaynews on:5/28/2010 10:51:04 PM

( Dr. Prasanna Mishra )

Most of the farmers in Orissa have tiny holdings. Average size of a holding in the state is only 1.25 hectare. Nearly 84% of all (40.67 lakh) operational holdings are small and marginal ones and account for only 53% of the total area under agriculture. Only 16% of the holdings are relatively larger and these account for 47 % of the area. Small holdings have many disadvantages. These do not provide enough work in a year for their owners; much less offer any scope for jobs for the large number of landless agricultural workers of our state. Most of these holdings face scarcity of water for agricultural operation round the year. Most of these farmers therefore confine their operation to a khariff crop only. Wherever a small or marginal holding is high land, productivity of the holding is still lower.

 These landowners of the state are therefore in dire need of supplementation of their income, as the land does not generate adequate income. Let us see the condition of those who do not own land. Nearly twenty lakh households in the state have no land yet many of them hover around agriculture for their livelihood. Where else would they go? No noticeable employment opportunities in the state have been created. It is indeed heart rending to notice that the state that is home to nearly forty million people has only 7.90 lakh persons engaged in the organised sector. Private sector takes care of only one lakh jobs; the rest are in the public sector. This picture relates to 2007. It is interesting to note that in 2000, public sector engaged 8 lakh persons. But in seven years public sector has reduced engagement by more than one lakh. Private sector provided only three thousand additional jobs during this period. It would be unrealistic to assume that our people now find enough jobs in the unorganised sector. Transport is however one sector that has shown some vibrancy in growth. Number of auto rickshaws has increased in the state from around 9000 in 2002 to around 32000 in 2008.Similarly, number of goods vehicle has increased from the level of around 77000 to 115000 during this period. Number of Car/jeep/taxi increased from 58670 to 134960 and buses increased to 6877 from 4787. This growth would have meant—assuming 50% of the cars to be owner-driven -- engagement of around 100000 persons as drivers and 40000 as helpers in heavy vehicles. Other sectors of our economy should also exhibit such dynamism. Unfortunately this is not happening. Agriculture sector remains stagnant despite its huge latent potential. It is a matter of concern that only 20% of our rural households have pucca houses where as in our country around 44% of rural household has pucca houses. Only around 16 lakh out of a total of 68 lakh rural households in our state have electricity in their houses. Forty percent of our people are below poverty line. Should we sit complacent and wait for Divine intervention to improve the situation?  

I and my wife once in a while get a modest dinner from Pizza Hut which gets delivered in our house just in time by young boys who unnecessarily speak in faulty English though they are more comfortable in Oriya when we respond to their English in Oriya. The food cost around Rs 800/-; much more than what a poor family in our state spends for the upkeep of his family for about a month! How do we improve the situation? Employment Guarantee Scheme can at best provide some work for one hundred days in a year. Its ownership by insensitive baboos can never make it a preferred destination to the poorest. Even if it is, what doe the poor man do in rest of the days in a year? The smallholdings of our state need to come to his rescue as well as their owners. A small and marginal farmer should have to accept his holding as an enterprise. He need not grow some paddy on it and get a yield of say ten quintals in a hectare. That yield would not even meet his consumption needs.
       
Now that the poor have access (entitlement) to cheap rice they should think of something more rewarding. But they need to be convinced to start such a venture. The venture needs finance, technical advice and marketing support. About fifteen years ago I thought of seeking an answer to the issue of farm poverty and in this quest I initiated a tiny venture on my own. We bought a small piece of land—half an acre; about twelve kilometres away from where we lived in Bhubaneswar. My objective was to make this small parcel of land yield an annual gross income of one lakh rupees. We availed of a loan from a Bank; built a masonry wall along the boundary; dug a well; laid channels; installed an electric pump. Scientists of the Agriculture University were of great help. So was a seed marketing company. We had detailed discussion with agriculture experts and marketing people and came to the conclusion that we should produce some crops to have seeds and market the seeds. That way my ambitious target of having one lakh rupees gross per year can be achieved. We produced seeds of tomato, okra (lady finger) and cowpea. We achieved the target. The land was under cultivation in most parts of the year. There was deployment of machines, additional manpower and technology.

Having done this I realised that for a small or marginal farmer it may be a difficult task to achieve. Even now I hold that view. But there has to be a solution. At least ten such farmers in a village must join hands and collectively launch a venture of this type. They would thereby produce more and make a seed company interested to buy the produce. They could even think of contract farming for growing seeds. Young boys and girls who are studying agriculture or management should come forward to start or promote such ventures rather than seek a job in a company to earn a monthly salary. They would have far greater level of professional satisfaction if they get engaged in such activities. That would be a much nobler service to our own people who are in the midst of grinding poverty. Their intervention would trigger creation of new jobs in the farm sector and make our society much more enterprising.

( The writer is a former IAS officer )