Traditional village economies need to change, but local communities not getting much help in the transition
For Sunil Karnekar, 35, from Khargalli near Murud in coastal Raigad distrirct, farming is a necessity. It remains one despite burgeoning pressures — global warming, falling soil fertility, rapidly falling prices of agricultural produce, lack of an effective marketing chain and, on top of all this, a chase by land buyers and middlemen to strike a deal. The economic meltdown has added to his woes and he has to think twice before applying a fertiliser dose to improve his output.
Mukesh Divekar, struggling to farm on family land, says non-availability of agricultural labour due to implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and due to the linked rise in wages, has turned farming into an unviable proposition. Farmers get by with a barter system in this regard -- a group of them come together to work on their farms by turn, to overcome the labour crunch.
Murud, with a population of about 12,000, surrounded by the Arabian Sea and mountain ranges, does not have any industrialisation. The village economy is dependent on farming, fishing, trading, tourism and, to a small extent, on building and construction.
Similarly, in Padgha, with a population of below 12,000, about 80 km from Mumbai, a trend is emerging of farmers, who’d traditionally cultivated paddy and seasonal vegetables, selling their agricultural land en masse, mainly to developers of godowns, at Rs 5-20 lakh a gunta (a gunta is about 100 sq metres). They believe farming is no more viable. Situated on the Mumbai-Nashik highway, Padgha is dominated by farming, building and construction, and small and medium industries. The godown business has drastically changed its economy and helped increase the standard of living. Automobile brands such as Audi, BMW and Ford are visible, as is the villagers’ tendency to go for Samsung, Philips and LG LEDs directly from the adjoining company godowns (sold below 20 per cent below the printed maximum retail price).
There are a few farmers such as Vishnu Vishe, who has weathered a slowdown and gone for modern farming by taking a subsidised loan from the district central cooperative bank, using greenhouses to grow produce. He has plans to tie up with leading companies and shopping malls.
Pradip Bagde, owner of Bagde Electronics in Murud, says: “If fishing folk earn more, they spend more. However, they are reeling under a severe financial crunch, both due to nature’s changing patterns and also because of competition from high-speed trawlers. The dip in their income is affecting the village economy and the slowdown has made matters worse.” He said the number of TV sets, sewing machines and washing machines are well down from a year before.
Mahendra Gardi, chairman of the area’s fishermen’s cooperative society, says their earnings have been falling by the day. “Earlier, a small fisherman used to earn Rs 150-200 per day by selling the catch. However, this has fallen below Rs 100. Earlier, there used to be a fish catch of 10 to 15 boxes, which has reduced to a mere five boxes per day. A large number cannot afford non-subsidised diesel.”
Prakash Sarpatil, who helps fishermen get loans or seeking smart cards, says “It’s a hand to mouth existence for a large number of fisher folk. Forget about buying of branded commodities, even a meal is a problem. Some of them also work as construction labour or in non-farm agencies or young folk drive tourist vehicles.” He says the government should simplify loan and subsidy disbursement procedures, saying this would provide needed respite for a large number of fisherfolk.
Prabha Gammar, who has been selling fish for 15 years, says it is difficult to move on. “We are happy that at least our children are getting a day’s meal and uniforms in their schools. Due to the falling fish catch, the daily collection is decreasing. I apply two spoons of non-branded oil instead of the earlier four spoons. Similarly, utensils are purchased locally and we cannot think of washing machines or refrigerators on such tiny earnings.”
Murud and Padgha villagers say they have deferred purchases of tractors, power tillers and motorcycles. Priyanka Pashelkar, manager at Chand Auto at Murud, says: “The slowdown has certainly impacted our sales of scooters and motorcycles. Earlier, we used to record an annual sale of 120-150 but this has reduced. We earlier sold 50 two-wheelers a month but this has dipped to about 30. We are striving to achieve a monthly target of 15 during the present slow down.” She says they’re offering schemes auto financeing schemes, with less downpayment.
In Padgha, auto dealers Chaitanya Motors and Jai Durga Automobiles are finding it difficult to cope. Virendra Patil, promoter of Chaitanya Motors, says monthly sales have fallen to seve two wheelers from the earlier 15. Rupesh Patil, dealer for Hero motorcycles, says there’s been a 30 per cent fall in sales and a 20 per cent fall in enquiries. “There is a slowdown, so I have reworked my business plan. Instead of planning an annual turnover of Rs 50 lakh, I have lowered it to Rs 20 lakh,” he says.
