Aurangabad, Dec 26:
Farmers are being exploited in the capitalist and even socialist system. The approach to agricultural development needs to change radically. According to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, minimum support prices for agricultural commodities will have to be guaranteed and agricultural labourers will have to be paid a minimum wage of Rs 500 per day said economist H M Desarda.
He was speaking at an online lecture organised at the Vinoba Bhave Hall in MGM on the backdrop of the completion of thirty days of the farmers agitation. He said that agriculture should be restructured. Emphasis should be placed on organic and non-violent farming in the face of climate change, pandemic like Covid-19. Even today, twenty to twenty-five crore people rely upon agriculture. Desarda lamented that it was wrong by the government to subdue the farmers. This shows that rulers are not only corrupt but also foolish. The corporate sector now has its eye on the country''s food producers. Large warehouses are being built. It shows the intention of making huge profits by storing food. Agriculture is a pluralistic system. Desarda advised not to make it uniform.