Bandmasters of Raju and Munna Band - Corporate initiated, contract farming experts, sometimes remind me of the bandmasters of the wedding / barat bands in the small mofussil towns of Bihar, and sometimes, of the divine experts, who can sniff and tell the farmer, where to start drilling, for the best likelihood of drawing water at the most convenient depth in the rocky plateau ground.
Needless to say, the farmer is paying on a daily basis, for the expensive drilling equipment, and for the retinue of drilling labour, engineers, managers and water diviners that turns up, and knows very well - it is still undoubtedly his own fate, which will determine his success in drawing water at 50 metres or at 300 metres.
The farmer dares not question the professional competence, of this large retinue of water diviners, or ask for a simple written agreement, of, at what depth, water will be struck. Pay us, watch us, do your bit, and pay us more, will be the likely answer, even as the farmer, tries to hide, his ignorance, of the nuances of modern farming, his cultural illiteracy and lack of modern scientific knowledge in the presence of the confident master weavers of invisible cloth.
The retired, army Brigadiers and Colonels, who make up the Human Resources and farming division bosses, of the corporate charge into Indian contract farming, are no doubt, candid, realistic and earthy people. They do preface, their farm prescriptions, for Indian farmers, with the disclosure, that the Tata Rallis, ITC or Reliance companies, that they represent and get a fat salary from, are really not attempting any convoluted attempt at altruism or have completely charitable motives. Jokingly they ask the doubtful farmers to put on a brave face and proudly join in - "Jai jawan, Jai kisan" in unison with the earthy retired brigadier or colonel, and get to work in earnest. No room for doubting Thomases on Indian contract farming platter.
They know in modern India, the jawan is heading towards UN Security Council and global peace keeping operations, while the kisan is headed towards the blind alley of an undeclared exit policy, while the government cheers on the new marriages being made on the farm lands.
They do twirl their moustaches and with a private smile say, at best, they hope, that contract farming between the corporate and Indian farmer, will not be as exploitative, as that between, Indian government and the Indian farmer who is at the mercy of all and sundry.
Corporate shareholders, they say, will be just slightly better friends of the farmers, than the Indian politicians and government. We are in it for mutual benefit, and shall walk away if the whole thing does not make business sense. The farmer will of course get his land back.
Privately, these retired army brass - captains, colonels and brigadiers, who venture into contract farming after early retirement, also mention, that they have consulted extensively, with batteries of legal experts, while drawing up the exact wording of the contract farming contracts that the farmers are "requested" to put their thumb to. The lawyers get their share of the farmers misery too.
It is the public relations whizz kids, media writers with journalistic aspiration, and fresh management grads, and media experts sitting in Mumbai, who draft the press releases, who start painting the scenario of emperor's new clothes for the naked emperor, in real earnest.
They seem to go overboard in their enthusiasm in "selecting" the 400 or so odd, "extremely lucky" diligent farmers, with whom the company will sign an experimental contract.
And like that bandmaster, in the Bihar mofussil town, they tell each farmer, the same story that the band master tells all his shagirds, whom he has taken under his fold. "Munna, tera music mein bahut talent hai, tu to 50-100 shadi me band baja kar seedhe Mumbai nikal jaana, wahan par meri jaan pahchan ke kuch film music director hain". The poor Munna, delightedly but a bit warily, agrees to joining the band master in the fond hope, that one day, he will become the next Himesh Reshamayyia that Mumbai film industry, has all along been waiting for. He begins to imagine himself as leading big teams of musical band orchestra and giving final touches to popular lilting tunes for the Indian masses ... mere desh ki dharti sona ugle, ugle heere moti, mere desh ki dharti....
He brings out the dozen odd songs as well, that he wrote on the side, and hopes they too, will make it to the top of T-Series charts. ...Raja ki aayegi baraat, rangeelee hogi raat, magan main naachoongi....
One really wonders, why the corporate farming bandmasters and contract farming experts, even bother, to select 400 or so, illiterate, debt laden, traditional farmers, when these contract farming experts, can just acquire dirt cheap, farm land, from distressed farmers, and train 400 of their own youth, with tractor driving licenses, and set them up to farm and till for them ?
Maybe they just feel it is their patriotic duty to respond to the call of Shri Singh and Mr Chidambaram for private sector to generously invest in rural infrastructure and Indian agriculture ?
There is afterall, no shortage of unemployed, eager, tie clad, white shirted, and smart manpower in India, looking for jobs in Tata, ITC and Reliance. And of course, the seeds, the fertilizers, the pesticides, the water drilling technologies, the herbicides, the biotechnology access to wonderful organic and GM seeds, financial loans, latest technological inputs, storage and fumigating technologies, global marketing muscle, advertising reach - all these inputs can come from inhouse itself.
Vertical integration and competitive advantage, is what this is called in management schools lingo.
What SWOT Analysis about Indian farmers is occurring in the Indian Agriculture and Commerce Ministry is beyond my comprehension.
Afterall, these are the production inputs, that made the agricultural gadget makers, rich in the first place. And who knows better, as to how to take farm produce, from farm to fork, with fewest middlemen ? Can anybody ever beat ITC, Reliance or Rallis in the logistics of transporting fresh food from farms to urban markets ?
Why is the farmer asked to tuck up his dhoti, become the essential middleman, and put his dirty thumb to the spick and span, contract farming contract, and elaborate legal documents ?
No shortage of intelligent swindlers, stiching wonderful clothes, of a wonderful but invisible to the eye, material, for the " naked emperoror " of Indian farm fields - the farmer.