‘Corporate Farming……?’

‘Co-operative Farming!’

Our Raja Sekhar Reddy is behaving as if his mental faculties have reached their maximum by declaring he wants farmers to adopt ‘Co-operative Farming’—as if it is his ‘Novel idea’!

In fact, years before independence, the concept was tried and proved a major failure after decades!

There is still ‘Circars Agricultural Development Corporation’ in West Godavari District, formed somewhere near 1940, in which the farmers in adjacent villages, comprising vast areas joined, with their lands as their share capital, obtaining shares according to the land they contributed to the corporation—say, one share for every 10 cents of land—and they carried on farming, as if they are not members of any corporation, sold their product, enjoyed the benefits, and remained members of the Corporation, ‘nam ke vaste!’.

But when they wanted to perform the marriage of their daughter, and wanted to sell their holding, it was not possible to sell their holding to outsiders! They were forced to sell their land to their neighbours, (often big land lords, who could not cajole them to sell their lands at their asked prices for years together, but remained patient vultures) at their (Land lords) asked prices, and leave the lands with moist eyes!

The Banks refused to finance for their agricultural operations, saying, they are not owners of the land! If they have to be financed, the Corporation officials have to sign the Documents for the loan as Co-obligants! When the farmers approached the officials of the Corporation, they reused saying, they could not mortgage the Corporation’s interests!

Did Mr. Raja Sekhar make deep study as to the repercussions? No!

But he is more enthusiastic to implement the scheme!

God only save the small farmers from the Corporate ‘Clutches’!