Beyond loan waivers & doles

CIFA has chalked out an elaborate national agricultural agenda which it wishes the government to follow over the next 10 years

Farmers do not need charity like loan-waivers or doles. They need income through fair returns on their produce to live with dignity,” maintains one of the major farmers’ organisations, the Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA). This all-India body, representing a sizable section of farmers, stands apart from the other farm unions in several respects. Unlike most other unions which are linked to political parties and are agitating for loan write-offs and other financial sops, CIFA is apolitical and campaigns chiefly for policies that can make agriculture self-sustaining. Besides, instead of opposing the genetically modified (GM) crops as most other