Page:Sharad Joshi - Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage.pdf/190

 ‘It was our good fortune that we started our struggle in 1980! Had we started in 1975, it would not have met with this much success. For two reasons, the year 1980 is significant. ‘The first reason is that, till 1977 there was great shortage of farm produce in the country and therefore the farmer was getting more money in his hands if he produced more crop. But by 1977 the fruits of green revolution had reached the people. Farmers began to get bigger yield with the increased use of fertilizers and more advanced seeds. Therefore, there was abundance in the market of farm produce. Farmers were worried about how to sell their produce. Due to the glut in the market, prices had collapsed. If you produced more, more you stood to lose. This situation was created for the first time in 1980. ‘The second reason is the political situation that prevailed in 1980. There was emergency in 1975, then elections in 1977, then again elections, as a result of one party losing power and another party coming to power, the somersaults by politicians of different parties. All that created disappointment and disgust about all political parties in the minds of people. Against that background we came forward stating clearly and vehemently that “for the past 33 years Government has been deceiving all farmers.” Because of the overall prevailing mood of disappointment, farmers today listen to us and applaud. But there was no such disappointment in 1975. If we had said all that then, perhaps people may not have accepted it.’ Joshi learnt from experience what hundreds of books would have never taught. The low price of farm produce was our real problem; if a farmer got right price for his produce, he would never have to depend on any charity or subsidy. His life of helplessness and drudgery would end. Out of that emerged his single-point programme: “remunerative price for farm produce”. To provide wider framework to his thinking, Joshi developed his own interpretation of history. This interpretation acquired its When White Gold Turned Red

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