In the present era, the meaning of human life is changing. Simple human life is becoming more complex. Artificial products, rapidly growing technology, artificial intelligence have surrounded human thinking from all sides. Human life seems to have gone from a good and comfortable life to a hellish one due to serious diseases and bad thinking, because the word “pure” is disappearing from his life.
Pure air, pure water, pure food which are the basis of human life; have been replaced by poisons. Due to dirty water, polluted air, and adulterated food, the human body is getting weak and “as is the food, so is the mind” according to the popular saying, due to eating polluted and adulterated food, human thinking is also getting dirty and bad. Agriculture which is the basis of food has become loss-making. Employment is not available. Food is full of adulteration and poisons.
Reading all this, some thoughtful individuals, especially those from the fertile land of Punjab, are striving to do something new and unique, not just in words, but in practice, with a theoretical thought to give a new direction to the people of the fertile land of Punjab. Among them, I got the opportunity to talk to Avtar Singh, an agricultural expert who works with the sacred and public welfare thinking of “complete agriculture, complete employment, nutritious food, a journey free from poisons and toxins” to encourage and promote organic farming in the area surrounding Phagwara city in new ways.
I got the opportunity to talk to Avtar Singh, who means “God” in the meaning of “Bhagwan” (Bhagwan) meaning “Bh+G+V+A+N”
Bh – Bhoomi means soil
G – Gagan means sky
V – Vayu means air
Aa – Aag means fire
N – Neer means water,
In the first series of interviews, the discussion regarding chemical farming and organic farming is in front of the readers – Gurmeet Singh Palahi
Question: Agriculture in Punjab is considered a loss-making business these days, is agriculture really a loss-making business? If so, what are the reasons behind this?
Answer: There was a time about 60-65 years ago when agricultural work was considered the best and noblest. Business was considered second and government jobs were given the lowest i.e. third place. That is why this saying was commonly used, “Uttam Kheti, Madham Vyapar, Nakhid Chakri Bhik Gawar”. That is, agriculture was once a noble and profitable business. So if now we are believing that agriculture is a loss-making business, then this belief is wrong, surely somewhere we are wrong and we need to find that mistake. The moment we find that mistake, our agriculture will not only prove to be a very profitable business, our natural resources will also be greatly protected.
Question: Nowadays, agricultural food products are being promoted as harmful to health, how much truth is there in this?
Answer: Yes, this is absolutely true and correct. It is true that we are facing a food crisis at the moment. Of course, we have food stores, godowns are full, but the tragedy is that all this food is not edible, because all the food we eat is poisonous. We produce food products using many chemicals and unnatural methods, so it is absolutely true that all the food we are getting is not edible. It is harmful to health.
Question: The Green Revolution has made a significant contribution in making the land of Punjab infertile and barren, what are your thoughts on this?
Answer: Absolutely, we can say that the Green Revolution has ruined life. The Green Revolution, or Green Revolution, should actually be called “Grid Revolution”, its main objective was the greed of getting maximum yield per acre. We started on the path of getting maximum yield. Therefore, agricultural universities, agricultural institutions and agricultural technical experts suggested deadly methods of using chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or other medicines etc. and we damaged the “eco system”. The level of groundwater went down considerably and the water became polluted. Our air also became polluted. Due to this, our produce also became contaminated and became poisonous, because the chemical fertilizers, chemical medicines, pesticides, herbicides used to produce crops also get into our produce. The problem of poisonous food has emerged as a serious threat not only to the human race but also to the existence of life. Only by doing natural farming by avoiding unnatural farming methods can we save the natural system. In this way, we will be able to save ourselves, our natural resources will also be saved, our food will also be poison-free. Our health will also remain good.
Question: Did the Green Revolution boost the economy of Punjab?
Answer: The Green Revolution certainly gave some boost to the economy of Punjab in the initial period, but when we talk about the bad consequences and adverse effects of the Green Revolution, they are relatively more. The farmer is completely drowning in debt. We see newspaper headlines every day that farmers are committing suicide. It is also a truth that the more modern tools and methods a farmer has used for the Green Revolution, the more debt he has become. This model of agricultural development imposed on us by the corporate system has only eroded the earth, nature and life. It has not had any good effect on life, standard of living and nature.
Question: S. Avtar Singh Ji, I remember when we were small, even though the farmers had a little money, they used to be very prosperous and happy. But now one thing remains in the discussion that farmers are getting into debt, many farmers have become victims of mental stress. Is it true that the farmers of Punjab have become more and more indebted after the Green Revolution?
