To transform the rural economy into a prosperous and sustainable remunerative economy it would be desirable to create SEZ for farming. It may be initially started for horticulture, floriculture, pulses and oilseeds, etc., where adequate export potentiality exist as that way in principle the SEZ concept will remain intact.
In India, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are facing problems, despite their well-known success stories elsewhere, particularly in China. This has happened as usual due to maneuvering of politicians who are exploiting the farmers' belief that land is not only a provider of livelihood but also the only ancestral property to be zealously protected at all costs. In this context, all political parties are guilty.
It is strange that despite much suffering due to vagaries of weather, etc., farmers and workers don't shed their age-old belief that land is meant only for farming. They don't realize that there are other ways to use the land by which they can improve their income and also socially gain better status. Just clinging to a tiny plot of land just because it is an ancestral property and pursuing traditional farming with limited resources and by begging subsidies from politicians they have remained poor and downtrodden for so many years. They have lost opportunities to earn more by refusing to shed their rigid stand.
Just as there is need to change the mindset of farmers and workers by providing them proper education and extension service, it is equally important for politicians and government officials to realize that subsidies and grants no way help people or institutions to grow or gain but only make them weak and dependent. This happens not only to farmers and workers but also to institutions and government agencies. Furthermore, dependence on intermediaries for doling out funds generates corruption. Therefore, the sooner the intermediaries are thrown out and direct contacts and deals are made the better quicker would be the transformation of these beneficiaries both economically and socially. |
