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Barriers to Technology By Ajay Jhakar
There was a time when farmers used pesticide 15 times in a season. Now, with use of hybrid seeds such as Bt Cotton, it is used only around 5 times. The reduction in the use of pesticides has helped reduce the impact of agricultural activities on the environment as fewer insects, pests and birds die from exposure. A huge communication gaps exists between the scientific, industrial and agricultural communities, as a result of which the adoption of bioengineered seed varieties is not as far reaching as required in India.. There is also a lack of awareness and education among farmers regarding sound agricultural practices as they have no access to scientific input. The cost of hybrid seeds is obviously higher than that of conventional seeds as it is of a higher quality. It takes time, effort and money to develop these hybrid seeds and therefore comes at a higher cost. Farmers lack access to credit and so cannot afford these quality inputs. Moreover, with nearly 60% of the agricultural land being rain fed, the input costs are high and output not guaranteed. Consequently, the penetration of hybrid seeds is not that high. The opposition to transgenic foods has led to two issues- one is the current levels of pesticide exposure and the other is the perception of possible exposure to some hypothetical danger- something which studies have established will not happen. We need to realize that the use of technology is essential to ensure that India becomes a food secure nation and to make farming, which is the largest private sector enterprise, a profitable enterprise. India has 17% of the world population and only 2% of arable land area, the country cannot survive without technology stepping in. The farmer at the end of the day wants to make a profit and just like every other consumer has the right to choose what to eat, the farmer should be given the right to choose what to grow. Given a choice, we would all want a better seed variety which requires less pesticide used on its production and the farmer would not have continued to use hybrid seeds had it not resulted in tangible profits. Ajay Jhakar is the Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj, a non-political organization that provides a voice to the farming community.
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