My Village Story in Farmer's words

How do u sell your produce at a price you want?

As soon as we get the harvest, the brokers swarm around us. Each of them wants a major share of the produce. But they want to pay us less. They try to fix a price. We generally don't like that price. We do our calculations and we can not come down to a price which is less than the (invested+investment needed). We bargain and get closer to what we want. We sell it off. Some of us keep a portion of produce which will be sold after another season. The older rice fetches more price. Rich farmers do use facilities of Warehouses because they can afford it.

Why do not you go to the market yard?

We can sell only at government fixed rates in the market yards. The quality of rice produced does not matter in the pricing. Over that, we need to take the produce to the market yard and wait till it is sold. We also need to pay bills on each bag sold. Why go to the market yard when we can make a deal with the broker. After hard work on the farm, we do not have the energy to transport and sell our produce.

Don't brokers trouble you?

Why will not they trouble us? They take our produce first. Then they pay us after making us wait. And you know that we prepare for our next crop. We need money for seeds and pesticides. So we take a loan from money lender. The interest rate is around 18% to 40%. After fighting for a better price, we lose the money in the form of interest. It is a double loss for us. This is the big problem with brokers.

I buy from you. Why don't you sell it to the other customers?

You buy because it is from your farm and you know us. Why will some other guy take the pain of coming to our village and buy? There is no platform for us to sell. Most of the customers buy retail rather than wholesale.

If you have a better platform, a better price, will you sell it?

Why not! You are educated. You should help us. These days many things are sold online. Can we do that?

Ended there!

Daily Life of My Ancestor!

Who is my ancestor?

Who's yours?

Yours' might be kings, business men and Pujaris.. I come from a more humble back ground.. My ancestors are peasants... Peasants???

Thats what I can tell about 5 generations backwards.... My Father was also a farmer... Thats what I used to write in my School Dairy.. Oh He actually was... But not 6 AM to 9 PM farmer... just a farm manager...

There are 3 kinds of Farmers...

One who actually does farming.....

One who manages farming with help of agriculture labourers......

One like me sitting here, writing stuff, getting some money out of leasing out land to other farmers.....

My father was a type 2 farmer, I am type 3... My great grand father was type 1 farmer... I missed my grand father... He is none of that... He was an intellectual brat with high qualifications.. and Did nothing.. Yes nothing!

So it is like this....The type 1-  The people who had lands, used to cultivate their land and used to earn bread.... They used to employ lower middle class to help them with cultivation... So, It was everyone's hard work who got food to everyone irrespective of who owned or who don't!

When there was drought... Everyone used to suffer... but good ones used to share the food with poor/needy and used to wait for another good season....

They are incredibly hardworking. They get up early in the morning even before the cockcrow. They care for nothing — may it be winter, summer or rain.  They used to work work work and die.

Everyone wanted to be happy and secure better future for themselves and their kids.... And their Land...

They used to Celebrate only those festives and sacrifices only meant for the land and corp.. nothing else.

Let me come back to Type 2 - Present day, Teens' parents or grandparents's used to own lands, did not actually do farming... They would not bend their back... They were more of managers. They buy pesticides, get seeds and try to be political.  They used to spend more of their time on politics but used to make sure that agriculture labourers are working by employing by their subordinates on the field... most of the times.. their own wives..

Woman... They were the most powerful managers on the agriculture field and very hard working... They used to manage farm and house with equal enthusiasm and equal love.... If you imagine that farming is occupation of Men.. Then you are totally wrong.. and you need total introspection of yourself!

They tried their best to carry the tradition along.. But may be bad or good.. Many other jobs are getting created.. They started to degrade themselves... and tried to elevate their kids who are studying engineering/medicine... later software engineers and doctors... They did everything to push their kids to good positions irrespective their bad conditions and debt drift lives... They thought earning money is important but not growing crops.... They use to work work talk and die....

Then began collapse of Peasants ancestry..... you only find it in pockets across India... only in remote villages.

Agricultural labourers became new peasants... They started tilling land... buying land from their owners.... though in small number... as they cant afford many....

They started to work hard and followed the footsteps of Type 1 farmers... the input has increased.... thanks to technology and machinery..... But they started feeling the shallowness the type 2 farmer felt... To provide better education and life to their kids... They started taking huge loans from money lenders... hoping they can repay once they get crop in hand... the cycle continues every year.. they keep trying hard... No sleep No food... you can actually see their Nerves... Physically and Mentally... They cant let go..... This actually led to Type 3 farmers like me... I don't feel bad being Type 3.. I am descended of Type 2 and still have love for land what type 1 used to have... There are many in my circle... who are none of it..... They don't feel bad... They actually don't care writing about it too... We just work hard, party harder and die

Its not feeling bad or good about farming..  Just sit back and think.. Who will be the next generation who is going to farm?

Its should be our duty to Wash the face.... Put on Dhoti... Pick the plow ... Carry Plow on our shoulders...  Walk on the those Hard Mounds of Mud....See the Sun hiding his face behind mountains far away..Reach the farm.. Kiss the land... and plunge the sharp blade of the plow into the land... and Start Ploughing...... Any Day!

Proud to be member of Family of Farmers... !