Page:Sharad Joshi - Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage.pdf/168

 discuss with the local farmers and also address mass meetings. The response from Vidarbha farmers to Joshi’s out-of-box analysis of India’s agriculture was overwhelming.

Cotton in Vidarbha had the same significance as sugarcane in Western Maharashtra and the crucial role played by the cooperative sugar factories in Western Maharashtra was comparable to the role played by Monopoly Cotton Procurement Scheme in Vidarbha. This Monopoly Scheme was started in 1971 with the noble intention of ending the exploitation of cotton farmers by the traders. This scheme was product of the period after Bank nationalization when Socialism was the cornerstone of all government policies. The traders were supposed to be driven by the profit motive and hence they would always exploit the farmers, whereas the government was run by the people and hence would always give priority to the welfare of the people was the rationale behind the Monopoly Cotton Procurement Scheme. This Monopoly Scheme was introduced only by the Maharashtra Government and not by any other State Governments. In this Monopoly Scheme, three aspects were included; firstly, the purchase of cotton from the farmers, secondly, the process of ginning (The process of cleaning cotton by separating seeds from the surrounding soft lint. It is this lint, called rui locally, which was used in making the yarn for weaving cloth, whereas the seeds were used for extracting oil and for making animal feed.), and thirdly, selling of the cleaned cotton. Earlier, Maharashtra State Marketing Federation handled the cotton purchase but later on this new Monopoly Scheme took over. The Monopoly Scheme ran on cooperative basis, which meant that profit made would be distributed amongst the farmers. When White Gold Turned Red

Q

155