How are small farmers in the grip of the local trader? [V. Imp.]
Small farmers can not do without the help of the local traders. They depend on them for various reasons:
(a) During cropping season they take loan from the local traders.
(b) Whenever, there is an illness in the family they go to the local trader for help.
(c) Farmers also face seasonal unemployment. There are times in the year when they have no work and hence no income. During this time their survival depends on borrowing money from him.
Due to these reasons small farmers easily come in the grip of the powerful local traders.
What are the reasons that the business person is able to make a huge profit in the market?
You might have heard of cooperatives in your area. It could be in milk, provisions, paddy, etc. Find out for whose benefit they were set up?
Where do you think large farmers would sell their cotton? How is their situation different from Swapna?
What are the demands foreign buyers make on the garment exporters? Why do the garment exporters agree to these demands?
Compare the earnings per shirt of the worker in the garment factory, the garment exporter and the business person in the market abroad What do you find?
How do weaver's cooperatives reduce the dependence of weavers on the cloth merchants? [V. Imp.]
How does market work move in favour of the rich and powerful? What are the ways to overcome them? (V. Imp.]
If the weavers were to buy yam on their own and sell cloth, they would probably earn three times more. Do you think this is possible? How? Discuss.
What are the following people doing at the Erode cloth market merchants, weavers, exporters?
Who are involved in putting-out system? How is this system advantageous and disadvantageous for the weavers? [V. Imp.]