Where have they disappeared...the united colours of Kerala. As Kerala gets evolved as the largest consumer state in India, it does not make much sense in investing in paddy cultivation, if the decision making criteria is just business. Labor is expensive and is very difficult to get. Thanks to the family planning programs and the enhanced literacy levels, which created nuclear, educated citizens, who always aims for a white collared job. No one can blame them for it. The climate is also very unpredictable. The competition from outside is tough. All these, put the farmer in a very tight spot. Most of them are in debt traps, and many of them were ending their lives because of their inability to pay back paltry amounts (most cases less than 500 USD), which they have borrowed from the local mafias at exorbitant interest rates. Then came the corrective action from the thoughtful and mighty political leaders of Kerala. They put a ban on the right of the farmer to choose the crop he wants to cultivate in his own land. That means, if someone owns paddy fields, they cannot convert it into coconut plantations. Here anyone who wears a clean white shirt and dhothi is considered as a capitalist. On top of it, with great good intentions, the government announced a relief of Rs.200,000 (approximately 5000 USD)to the family of those who committed suicides. This acted as an incentive for committing suicides. Hats off to the thoughtfulness of the leaders. In my project management workshops, I quote this as an example for wrong root cause analysis, leading to wrong corrective actions, resulting in undesired results.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The farmer's conundrum !
Where have they disappeared...the united colours of Kerala. As Kerala gets evolved as the largest consumer state in India, it does not make much sense in investing in paddy cultivation, if the decision making criteria is just business. Labor is expensive and is very difficult to get. Thanks to the family planning programs and the enhanced literacy levels, which created nuclear, educated citizens, who always aims for a white collared job. No one can blame them for it. The climate is also very unpredictable. The competition from outside is tough. All these, put the farmer in a very tight spot. Most of them are in debt traps, and many of them were ending their lives because of their inability to pay back paltry amounts (most cases less than 500 USD), which they have borrowed from the local mafias at exorbitant interest rates. Then came the corrective action from the thoughtful and mighty political leaders of Kerala. They put a ban on the right of the farmer to choose the crop he wants to cultivate in his own land. That means, if someone owns paddy fields, they cannot convert it into coconut plantations. Here anyone who wears a clean white shirt and dhothi is considered as a capitalist. On top of it, with great good intentions, the government announced a relief of Rs.200,000 (approximately 5000 USD)to the family of those who committed suicides. This acted as an incentive for committing suicides. Hats off to the thoughtfulness of the leaders. In my project management workshops, I quote this as an example for wrong root cause analysis, leading to wrong corrective actions, resulting in undesired results.
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