THREE STEPS TO REDUCE AGRARIAN STRESS IN MAHARASHTRA

Three steps that can reduce agrarian crisis in Maharashtra

1.  Small and Marginal farmer (>55 years age) pension scheme

 Pension provides hope and can stop suicides:

• In Maharashtra, there are 6.8 million marginal farmers and 4.0 million small farmers. Out of these 10.8 cmillion farmers an estimated 15% of them are above the age of 55.

• Pension of Rs 500 per month for 15 lakh farmers will cost Rs 750 million a month and Rs 9.0 billion  a year. The pension scheme can be based on Aadhar card. Modalities of farmer contribution may be worked out.

2. Reduce cost of cotton cultivation by using NITROGEN-fixing legume crops as inter-crops

• Legume crops (pulses, oilseeds and fodder) fix 150 to 500 kg NITROGEN per hectare.

• All cotton farmers in Maharashtra should be encouraged to cultivate NITROGEN fixing legume crops either in crop rotation or as inter-crops with cotton.

•  Kharif legume crops such as Soya (soybean), Tur (arhar/pigeonpea), Moong (green gram), Lobia/chavli (cowpea), Urad (blackgram) Val (broad bean), Mum phalli (groundnut) fix about 150 to 200 kg nitrogen per hectare, if the seeds are treated with Rhizobium just before sowing.

•  It is possible to reduce 90% of the urea requirement if legumes are grown in Kharif and rabi. Soybean and groundnut are oil seed crops and other legumes provide pulses and fodder.

• The need for chemical pesticides will be reduced at least by 50% since legume crops harbor beneficial insects for integrated pest management when legumes are grown as inter-crops with cotton. These systems promote organic farming.

 3. Cotton yields can be doubled in Vidarbha with half the production cost

• Early sowing of early-maturing cotton varieties in high density systems, escapes bollworms and drought. This system is followed in Brazil, Australia, USA, Mexico and China where farmers harvest more than 40 q/ha in rainfed farming, which is three times more than the Indian average cotton yield. 

• The Maharashtra State Agricultural Universities and CICR have excellent varieties that can be used for high density planting to bring a revolution in Vidarbha and Maratwada.