Farm loan-waiver promise won big in state polls, but farm crisis is serious

The farm crisis is more serious in ecologically fragile regions, which are drought-prone, witness high temperatures with poor irrigation facilities and depend chiefly on groundwater irrigation

Beyond individual parties, the recently concluded assembly elections in five states witnessed the triumph of loan-waiver promises and financial support for farm inputs.

This owed itself, in whatever part, to several farmers-protests over the last six months, all in an effort to bring their crisis to the forefront of electoral politics. And it paid off, at least to the extent that all parties are sure to court farmers and their votes in the coming months.

Beyond offering these sops, politicians have also focused on major irrigation projects, but seldom in an effort to secure farming systems. India’s farm economy can be sustained