Farmers have struggled under the Modi government and could hold the key to his future.
By Joanna Slater Joanna Slater Foreign correspondent covering South Asia Email Bio Follow May 15 at 5:07 PM The cotton fields in this expanse of central India are parched and fallow, spreading to the horizon in shades of brown and beige. When the rains come, the farmers will begin their annual gamble — hoping for good weather, hardy crops and decent prices.
“Modi said that he will change everything, but what has he changed, except for building roads?” Yede asked on a recent morning as the heat began to build in her tiny home. “So many suicides are still happening.” But now Indian agriculture faces a host of challenges as legions of farmers with small holdings become more integrated into the global economy and struggle with environmental change. The costs of inputs such as seeds, energy and fertilizer, are rising, while prices of major crops have plunged in recent years, forcing farmers to take on debt.
Now the costs of cultivation are increasing, he said, as are the costs of living. “The gap between the rural and urban economies is increasing tremendously,” Jawandhia said. “The policy of agriculture in our country is produce and perish.” There is “huge anger” about the failure of the Modi government to improve the situation, he added, but he said that voters don’t trust the opposition parties, either.
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