This is the harvesting season. There is an influx of pigeons in the paddy fields. Hundreds of them come together and feed on the rice field ready for harvest. A farmer whom I met when I stopped to take this photo told me that the pigeons do not leave the site even at night and keep retuning during day and night to feed from the rice field. He looks exasperated because he did everything possible to chase them away. He even got someone to shoot them.
A farmer's woes are too many. Farmers could live from their farm produce earlier. It is no more that way. Farmers who have large property find it even more burdensome as it is expensive to employ labourers.
I know that farmers receive less attention from the government a sit is expensive to help them and the returns are not large enough. As the agricultural income is not taxable, the government does not benefit by helping farmers.
Farmers are at a cross road. We have acres of land around our house that farmers do not cultivate. The land price for farm land is not attractive to sell. There are fewer buyers for large properties.
There is a change in rural India! Farmers are in distress because they did not employ technology to upgrade the farming practices. The help they need for this transition is not forthcoming from the government.
Noe the pigeons add to their worry!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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