NEW DELHI: As thousands of farmers toil in Delhi borders fortifying the cold winter winds and preparing for a long struggle to press their demands, some regret that seeing their plight, their children no longer wish to get into farming.
Hasseb Ahmed, who has been in a sit-in against the Center new agricultural laws here in the Ghazipur border since last Saturday, he says he has two school-going children who are busy with their online classes in his village in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh, wants a better standard of living.
Their oldest son is in class 12, while the youngest is in class 9. “Neither of them wanted to be a farmer. They have their ambitions and they want to get a good job. They say they don’t want to be farmers.” Ahmed said.
“With the price they offer us for our crops, all we can give ourselves is food and basic education. Nothing more. They are disappointed to see that despite all the manual work that it entails, we do not receive returns,” he added.
Another farmer, Sita Arya, who is from the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, said her children were also slowly trying to separate themselves from farming. “They are even willing to sit at a bidi, tabocco, or paan shop to earn a living.”
“We work day and night in the fields, but we don’t get the required earnings. Starting farming is like falling into a well. Unless there is profit, our children don’t want to get in. If only the government had focused on turning agriculture into an employment opportunity and to set a standard price for our crops, our children would not have been so against this profession, which is in every way the backbone of this country ”, he added.
Farmers have emphasized that unless their demands are met and the new farm laws are rejected, they will not move anywhere near the borders of the national capital and their protest will continue.
Daryal Singh, a 65-year-old farmer from UP, noted that young people in his village were willing to even work with a merchant for 2,000 rupees, but did not want to become farmers.
“For centuries they have seen their families struggle to obtain agricultural loans. Regardless of the money they make from agriculture, a good part goes to pay off the loan, and they keep a small sum. How can we change their perception? has acted on behalf of farmers to date, “he asked.
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