The economics which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh knows is far too elementary for him to get the feel of India's agrarian crisis. Better he does a reorientation course. For a start he can read the works of Charan Singh, the only intellectual and economist the country ever had in the Prime Minister's post. 

At the 52nd meeting of the National Development Council, the Prime Minister performed another round of breast beating on the plight of agriculture in India. As if we do not know, we were told that the agriculture growth rate is a bare 2% since the mid-90s. "Agriculture as a whole is in crisis" Dr.Singh authenticated. So what should we do?

 Simple: "We must revitalise the agriculture". For that "we should focus on achieving higher productivity and incomes of all farmers in both crop and non-crop agriculture". What is he planning to do for that? Already he has ordered the agriculture ministry to make "specific" recommendations by early next year. Everyone will live happily and in peace thereafter. 

So on and so forth. Sorry for reproducing the passages. You would have been bored. For it was all so silly, repeated several times over. Your patience will be tested in the coming months and years. Beyond the words nothing will (or can) move. Many more farmers will take premature farewell from the world. The rising trend in farm production will also go over. 

Are we telling you that agriculture in India is finished forever? In effect that is what we say. More investments in irrigation and infrastructure are welcome. But that will not be enough to save farming from slipping into decline. The malaise is much deeper and Dr.Singh's magic wand is nothing but eyewash. 

As the late Charan Singh often pointed out, Indian agriculture has not recovered from the hammer blows it received from the import of food grains from US under PL-480 five decades ago. The terms of trade which had turned against agriculture as a result of the overemphasis on industry and urban development has gone from bad to worse. The resultant losses suffered by rural India would run into billions and billions of Rupees. Unless the trend is reversed there is no hope for Indian agriculture. Does the Prime Minister have the guts even to make a suggestion in this respect? 

Across the world, rich countries included, let us admit, the farmers are at the receiving end when it comes to terms of trade. Hence the heavy subsidies which India's commerce minister, Kamal Nath, foolishly wants to do away with. In the name of free trade we are only trying to make others pay for our sins, omissions and commissions. In India rural life is more miserable than anywhere else because the 70% of the population is glued to agriculture. The ratio is in digits in rich countries. 

Indian farming community bore the brunt of Nehru's Fabian socialism, experiments with mixed economy, Indira Gandhi's hypocritical Garibi Hatao, Rajiv Gandhi's liberalisation drive, Narasimh Rao's reform tamasha and finally, Dr.Singh's embrace of globalisation. 

The recent decision to import half a million tonnes of wheat is evidence enough that the crisis in agriculture has reached a flash point. In a way, globalisation is unstoppable. Being the inscrutable law of nature. The question before us is what shape we are in to absorb the shocks from the onrush global market forces.

In bad shape. That is the plain answer. Because of poor or negative earnings the farmers' tribe is not increasing. The widespread disillusionment provides traction to the growing naxal movement, which has heavy presence in about a third of the total number of districts in India. High-tech law and order measures will not stop its growth. Sangur, in West Bengal, is a high profile reaction to the flawed economic policies. 1000 acres (for the TATA project) is fleabite in a country rich in landmass. The resistance therefore is symbolic. For an insight into the mess we are all in, Dr.Singh, read Charan Singh. You may even find a way out.

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