How every geopolitical event hits Indian farmers

Even as farmers struggle with fuel and fertiliser shortages, a India-US trade deal could bring in harder times

- Prachi Pinglay-Plumber

In the past few weeks, among other happenings, including war, fuel price hikes and examination messes, one not-so-small piece of information kept a large portion of this country on tenterhooks—the official arrival of the south-west monsoon on 4 June, three days behind its usual schedule.

In the past few weeks, among other happenings, including war, fuel price hikes and examination messes, one not-so-small piece of information kept a large portion of this country on tenterhooks—the official arrival of the south-west monsoon on 4 June, three days behind its usual schedule.

This large population of farmers is busy digging into their reserves to prepare their land for the upcoming Kharif season, or the monsoon cropping season when crops are sown at the onset of the south-west monsoon (June-July) and harvested at the end of the monsoon (September-October). Fertilisers are in short supply, bank loans have become harder, and finding fuel for tractors is an uphill task—all a fallout of the war between Iran and the US.

At Mashale village in Vidarbha region’s Wardha district in Maharashtra, Makrand Rokde is preoccupied—the numbers are not adding up. “The seed and fertiliser suppliers have different conditions this season; they will not provide more than five bags at a time due to shortage, but I need 60 bags. How many trips will I make to the distribution centres to get everything? To make matters worse, transport costs have increased,” says Rokde, who is in his 60s.