Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Senior journalist and author RN Bhaskar cautioned people and governments against bringing ideology into business.
He was speaking at a session of Bhopal Literature and Art Festival, based on his book - Game India, Amul and other success stories while interacting with Shailja Srinivas.
Bhaskar, who is consulting editor of Free Press Journal, said if a farmer was not allowed to sell his old cow because of a certain ideology, at least government should compensate his loss with a financial assistance so that he could buy a milch cow. But the government didnít do that.
You bring ideology into business and, thus, you kill both, he remarked. Citing example of Amul in Gujarat, he said milk was the only product whose price never decreased. It helped farmer to grow his income provided he was a part of the cooperative as in the case of Amul.
"It's milk, which can help farmers more than double his income. Uttar Pradesh didn't go the cooperative way like Amul in Gujarat. Hence, while a farmer can earn Rs 30 per litre in Gujarat, a farmer in Uttar Pradesh earns a meager Rs 16-18 per litre, he said. At Rs.18, a UP farmer makes a profit (all income less expenditure) of Rs.4 per litre. At Rs.30, a Gujarat farmer makes Rs.12 per litre. Just give the UP farmer the prices Gujarat's cooperatives offer and his income will swell four times. Today, this money goes to middlemen, who ensure that the farmer remains poor.
He said India became largest producer of milk in the world in 2001. Globally, farmers used to get one third of the price of milk but Kurien said they would get 50%.
Along with the success story of Amul, Bhaskar also mentioned TMA Pai, who climbed the ladder of success with the help of villagers, and how he contributed to development of the village as well as the state and the country.
Referring to story of TMA Pai, he said if one wanted to make progress one should ensure that people around should also progress.
