Food is our basic need - but the ones who feed us always starve under neglect

The very fundamental needs for our survival are air, water (rain) and food, the first two are a direct gift from nature, which are almost free, whereas food has to be produced and in the current scenario majority of the people in our country are consumers rather than producers when it comes to food, despite us being called an agricultural community.

In election campaigns all the political parties are pro farmers and after winning and forming the government they become pro industrialists. Are they considering farmers as just a flock for them to win elections with all the manifesto mimics? The neglect is because the farmers can only fill the stomach with food but politicians always look at industrialists and corporates, who can fill their pockets.

Of course, the country needs industrialists, manufacturers and corporates, who produce various products and render services at a large scale. However, farmers also should be given predominant consideration considering that they literally help us to meet our basic need - food. If politicians can embrace and pose for a photograph with industrialists at various forums, why are they reluctant do so with farmers other than during election campaigns.

To an extent, we will be able to survive without the amenities and comforts, which are provided by the industrialists, manufacturers and corporates, but not so without the basic need - food. What if, we have everything else and no food to eat? If anything that is produced is considered commodity whether it be by industrialists or farmers - food is the mother of all commodities.

Based on the studies of human developmental psychologist Maslow, the hierarchy of human needs is represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom - food, water, shelter and clothing make the foundation of the pyramid. Humans are compelled to fulfill these physiological needs first in order to pursue intrinsic satisfaction on a higher level. If these needs are not achieved, it leads to an increase in displeasure within an individual. 

So the ones who help us to meet our the most basic need - food should be given the maximum allocation in budget, financial inclusion, exemptions, respect and elevated status in our society. The government should change its attitude that how much ever badly the farmer flock is treated they would continue to produce food commodities as they would not have any other option left out for survival other than farming.

What an irony it is that the debts of people (rich) who invest money in their own business and profit are written off by the government and are even helped to flee from the country when pursued by debt collectors, whereas the farmers who took loans from banks for their own survival as well as to feed the people find themselves in utter despair without any kind gesture of waving off the loan from the government. They find their own rescue from this world on a piece of rope or by consuming pesticides.

Tobacco, cigarette and liquor are not essential commodities in our life, still those who are into these businesses flourish like anything whereas the farmers still live in agony and despair.

Can we hope to see a government doing something remarkable for the farmers and the agricultural sector rather than engage in misleading verbal exercises, who provide us with a banquet of food items to choose from which makes us healthy and fit to move upward in the pyramid to enjoy other needs.

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