Has Pawar Saheb really done anything for the farmers?

During a recent event held in Shirdi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posed a direct question to senior leader Sharad Pawar – ‘what did Sharad Pawar, as agriculture minister, do for the benefit of the farmers?’ This statement angered many pawar supporters. They immediately took to the social media and released a 6-7-years-old video clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he was speaking at an eventin Baramati. In that speech, PM Modi had admitted how he had taken lessons of politics from Sharad Pawar alias Saheb. Modi had also gratefully admitted that Pawar had helped him resolve certain issues in Gujarat when the latter was the agriculture minister at the Centre. Saheb’s followers and flatterers took this video clip as the basis to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent statement. Their anger was bound to get unleashed, after all Prime Minister Modi had raised doubts about Saheb’s ‘Jaanta Raja’ image.

To further Modiji’s doubts about Sharad Pawar, let me take you through the decisions implemented by the Modi government in the last nine-and-a-half years for the welfare of the farmers. It is only after we neutrally evaluate things that we will be able to realize that indeed what did ‘’Saheb’’ do for the betterment of the farmers. There is no reason to doubt Saheb’s acumen about agriculture. In 2004, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in power at the Centre, Pawar had asked for the agriculture portfolio. He had always shown keen interest in agricultural affairs, both as a minister and as the chief minister. But did Pawar Saheb really use his agricultural astuteness for the benefit of the farmers in the country is a subject of research.

Saheb was at the helm of affairs from 2004 to 2014, but what did he do for the benefit of the sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra? During his tenure, the union finance ministry had decided to levy income tax on the produce of the cooperative sugar mills and notices to this effect were sent to them asking them to pay it with retrospective effect. The Income Tax department used to send notices to those cooperative sugar mills that used to pay higher rates to the sugarcane farmers assuming it to be their profits. But after the Modi government came to power, it was amended thereby ensuring that the sugarcane procured by the sugar mills at Fair and Remunerative Rate (FRP) are treated as the cost of the produce and hence income tax must not be levied on it. Sugar mills had often pleaded Pawar Saheb to get them out of this crisis, but he never took a firm stand whereas the Modi government implemented the new law from April 1, 2016.

Also, during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s government, the finance portfolio was always with the Congress, initially Pranab Mukherjee and later P. Chidambaram were the finance ministers. At that time, the union finance ministry had rejected the demands of the sugar mills but the Modi government decisively dealt with it by making amendments in the law. Modi government also took one major decision of increasing the proportion of ethanol blend in petrol. India will soon achieve 20% ethanol-blended petrol target by 2025. This decision will directly benefit the sugarcane farmers. Why did Pawar Saheb not think about increasing ethanol blend in petrol for 10 years when he was in power at the Centre?

It was decided that the oil marketing companies (OMCs) shall make payments within 21 days from the date of receipt of material and acceptance thus giving financial relief to the sugar mills which will in turn benefit the farmers who will get the FRP on time. Sale of ethanol not only increased the earnings of sugar mills but it also ensured that the famers got their money for sugarcane on time. Had this decision been implemented from 2004 to 2014, the ethanol blend would have gone up to more than 30 per cent by now. Do you think Pawar Saheb wasn’t aware about how this could benefit the sugar mills or the farmers? And hence, when Prime Minister Modi raises doubts about Saheb’s intent to help the farmers, I see no reason why Saheb’s followers must get agitated.

Issues like sugarcane and sugar have always been Saheb’s subjects of contemplation and deep study. When he used to be the agriculture minister, he would often predict a massive sugarcane production even before the start of its season and also that the price of sugar will crash in future. As a result, the sugar prices would crash for a few days and later would rise to record levels. No doubt Pawar Saheb’s predictions would benefit the sugar traders but why he would come up with such predictions, he alone knows.

One thing is for sure, Modi government’s decisions ensured that sugar prices neither increased nor crashed in the last nine-and-a-half years. Modi government also encouraged the export of sugar, thus making sugar industry economically strong. Interestingly, during the sugar season of 2021-22, India achieved a milestone of one crore ton of sugar exports and became the second largest country in the world. This definitely wasn’t a sudden achievement but planned efforts by Modi government to increase sugar exports. During Pawar Saheb’s tenure, India’s sugar exports was not even worth taking note of. Now why Saheb did not work towards increasing sugar exports is a mystery that probably Sherlock Holmes will also not be able to unearth.

 

Also, the crop insurance scheme prevalent since Saheb’s tenure was implemented by the Modi government after making the necessary changes. Till March 2023, farmers received Rs 1.32 lakh crore by way of crop insurance. Will Saheb give an account of the amount disbursed to farmers under this scheme during his tenure?I t is only after we neutrally evaluate these decisions that we can assertively say that Pawar Saheb’s ‘7/12 extract’ as agriculture minister was always reeling under ‘decision paralysis.’ The reason why I used the term ‘decision paralysis’ is because once when Prithviraj Chavan was the chief minister,he wasn’t able to expeditiously take decision on one of Saheb’s issues. At that time Saheb got enraged and had said that “those in power seem to be suffering from paralysis as their hands shake while signing files that keep piling up by the day.”

In this comparison of decisions by Modi government vis-à-vis those taken by Sharad Pawar, it will be clear that Saheb failed to decisively resolve issues like income tax to sugar mills, increase the amount of ethanol blend in petrol and increase sugar exports. And hence I do not think it was wrong to question Saheb as to what he did in his 10-years tenure for the benefit of the agricultural sector.

Prominent decisions of Modi government for the farmers: –

 

·       Kisan Railway for fast transportation of agricultural goods

·       Subsidy of Rs 4 lakh crore on fertilizers thereby stabilising prices of fertilizers

·       Rs 6,000 per annum being deposited in the bank accounts of farmers

·       Provision of online platform for farmers to sell their agricultural produce

·       Recommendations of Swaminathan Commissionbeing accepted and decisionswere taken to provide one-and-a-half times of the cost of production for agricultural produce

·       Ethanol blend ratio in petrol was increased to 11.25%. This will further be increased to 20%

·       by 2025.

Ethanol production in the state at a glance…

 

·       Projects for ethanol production across the state – 163

·       Projects of the Co-operative Sugar Mills – 54

·       Projects of private sugar mills – 71

·       Stand Alone Projects – 38

·       Total Investment for Ethanol Manufacturing– Rs 21,371 crore

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India -30 October. 2023)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson