India celebrates 80 years of independence. Over eight decades, from dismantling the chains of slavery to laying the foundations of a self-reliant India, the farmer has remained the strongest link and the most outstanding figure in the country's history.
However, the paradox is that the one who defended the identity and pride of this land, fighting on fronts from Bardoli and Kheda to the indigo movement in Champaran, today has to take to the streets to advocate for the price of their harvest before their own elected governments.
History shows that when the country was gripped by famine and division after the expulsion of foreigners, it was the farmers who saved the situation. There was a period when the country depended on imports, receiving cheap and low-quality wheat bread from America, which was a blow to national dignity.
When agricultural scientists developed the Green Revolution plan, our farmers invested all their strength into it. Working day and night, they not only saved the country from famine and the humiliation associated with imported low-quality grain but also made India capable of feeding the population of many countries around the world.
Despite this glorious history of the 'Revered Farmer,' today he is fighting for his rights. Over these eight decades of independence, the fate of all segments of the population in the country has improved, but politics has been structured in such a way that the food producer himself has become entangled in economic crises.
Let us examine the latest economic data and local situation analysis to understand what the Indian farmer has lost and gained 80 years after gaining independence. Inflation has led to a rise in asset and precious metal prices, but the agricultural sector has been deliberately excluded from this race.
In 1950, when the country was recovering after gaining independence, the price of gold was about 99 rupees per 10 grams. At that time, the farmer's wheat was sold at a price of 35 rupees per quintal. Today, the price of gold has reached 140,000 rupees per 10 grams, representing a colossal increase of approximately 1414 times. However, when it came to the farmer's harvest, the government set the current Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat at only 2,585 rupees per quintal.
This increase compared to the real price of 1950 (35 rupees) is only 73 times. Furthermore, there is no guarantee regarding this price of 2,585 rupees. Data from the 77th survey of the National Statistical Office shows that the average monthly income of an Indian farmer's family is only 10,218 rupees. At first glance, this figure may be misleading, as the net monthly income from the harvest is only 3,798 rupees.
The farmer receives the rest of the income from hiring laborers (4,063 rupees), animal husbandry (1,582 rupees), and small non-agricultural businesses (641 rupees). From the harvest income, which amounts to only 3,798 rupees, the farmer spends 2,959 rupees on crop production. Thus, his net profit from agriculture is only 839 rupees per month, equivalent to about 28 rupees per day. This profit is shameful. Although some large farmers may benefit, the economic condition of 86 percent of small farmers is very poor; their income does not exceed the salary of a government clerk. This happens because policy strictly controls crop prices.
India's economic structure and policies are designed in a way that they are unfair to farmers. Whenever the wages or allowances of government employees are increased, leading economists call it a 'booster dose' for the economy. It is argued that the wage hike will increase market demand, people will buy cars and mobile phones, and the country's GDP will grow. But as soon as the discussion turns to ensuring a fair price for farmers' produce or providing a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price (MSP), politicians suddenly remember the poor people of the country. Then it is claimed that giving farmers a fair price will lead to market inflation, and the poor people will remain hungry.
In reality, the entire financial burden of ensuring cheap food for millions of poor people falls on the shoulders of this helpless farmer, who earns only 28 rupees a day from his agriculture. The farmer's income is sacrificed for the sake of controlling urban inflation.
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of developed and prosperous countries reveals the essence of India's agricultural policy. According to the OECD report, over the last 25 years, from 2000 to 2025, Indian farmers have suffered huge losses amounting to 111 trillion rupees. This damage arose from the government's consumer policy, which did not allow farmers to receive a fair price for their harvest corresponding to the world market. This is a kind of indirect tax that is subtly imposed on the pocket of the food producer for the sake of providing cheap grain to urban consumers.
In every budget and economic review, the government boasts or loudly speaks about the economic progress of large-scale farmers, while the growth rate of agriculture is most actively highlighted. However, the biggest problem with this indicator is that the Ministry of Statistics of India uses only the 'production approach' to measure it. According to this simple mathematics, the total volume of crops in the country's fields...
