Thread by @India_Policy

If farmers must be respected, because they put food in the plate then why not the construction worker, who built the home that you live in?

Let's demand State subsidies and freebies for construction workers, paid by us taxpayers, just like we do for the farmers.

Farmers are like any other producers and businessmen, they must be respected just like any other producer.

Today, Dubai gets much better food in its plates than Bathinda, even as UAE has no farmers.

Building food supply chain is most critical.

Today, farmers in India are not producing what the market (that is we the consumers) needs, but they produce wheat, rice and sugarcane, far more than what we need and it ends up rotting in the FCI godowns.

This must stop.

This addiction in Punjab of growing rice in arid Malwa region has not only depleted, but poisoned the underground water turning it into the cancer belt.

Poor, including farmers must be supported (UBI?), but Agri supply chain is best left to the market. MSP must end.

I am not saying we must not revere or support the farmers, but the 'AnnaDaata' mindset is from the 60s of food shortages.

We are never going to go back to that era.

We must free the agriculture like we have done with other industries and supply chains.

And lastly, let's not mixup poverty with farmers.

All poor must get Income support (UBI), not just farmers.

Rich farmers must pay Income Tax like all of us do.

Agriculture as an employment intensive Industry must get State support like other sectors like Textiles do.