Jobs in consultancies and investment banks are still amongst the most sought-after in India, even after the financial crisis of 2008. Rewind to a decade back and it were the software coders that every teenage Indian looked up to and aspired to be. However, it seems that the next generation of Indians would prefer to toil under the burning sun rather than sit in plush air conditioned offices. At least that is what an article in leading business daily claims. It cites the examples of professionals working with MNCs quitting their jobs to become farmers. Yes, you read that right! Given the steady rise in prices of food products in recent months, farming is the next obsession for a small group of young and educated Indians.
Why do the farmers then commit suicide you may ask! Honestly, we ourselves do not see the young and ambitious agricultural entrepreneurs doing too well in the long run. That is unless the government policies change dramatically in their favour.
Despite years of subsidies and minimum pricing offered for agri produce, the small and marginal farmers continue to remain at the mercy of rainfall. True the educated lot can use research and technology to their advantage. But at the end of the day, inability to sell the produce at profitable rates could make the sophisticated farmers as debt burdened as their illiterate peers.
Hence farming could certainly be a good option for a nation of young and largely unskilled population. Literacy and better technology could also help minimize risks. The certainty about rise in commodity particularly food prices makes the option that much more lucrative. However, in the absence of adequate government policies to secure farmlands and make farming a profitable venture, the scope remains limited. We keep our fingers crossed.
Why do the farmers then commit suicide you may ask! Honestly, we ourselves do not see the young and ambitious agricultural entrepreneurs doing too well in the long run. That is unless the government policies change dramatically in their favour.
Despite years of subsidies and minimum pricing offered for agri produce, the small and marginal farmers continue to remain at the mercy of rainfall. True the educated lot can use research and technology to their advantage. But at the end of the day, inability to sell the produce at profitable rates could make the sophisticated farmers as debt burdened as their illiterate peers.
Hence farming could certainly be a good option for a nation of young and largely unskilled population. Literacy and better technology could also help minimize risks. The certainty about rise in commodity particularly food prices makes the option that much more lucrative. However, in the absence of adequate government policies to secure farmlands and make farming a profitable venture, the scope remains limited. We keep our fingers crossed.
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