Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers’ Forum India)

Today at our podcast, we have a farmer and the Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj, India, Ajay Vir Jakhar in an enlightening conversation with our host Ashutosh Garg. Ajay calls himself a citrus farmer and he’s based in Punjab. Amid the farmer’s protest in North India because of the farmer bill 2020, Ajay is here to talk to us about the issues farmers generally face in India like high debt, meagre incomes, and so on, and he talks about the government policies that affect them. Ajay tells us that in India, policy makers are making decisions for farmers without the practical knowledge of farming. He tells us that Bharat Krishak Samaj was set up to mitigate distress and increase farmer’s prosperity. Ajay shares some facts about the food politics that exist in India where resources are located for consumers at the cost of farmers. He informs us that India is a cereal surplus country despite what big newspapers tell us, if the farmers are not prosperous enough they have to sustain on a high calorie(cereal) diet instead of a nutritious diet. Ajay also talks about millennials and how the new generation is averse to the idea of working in a field because of the lack of proper incentives. Now more than ever, India needs to protect its farmers against the exploitation they have been facing since many years. Tune in to find more!