|
Potator farmers spill the tubers to
force govt hand
WSN Network
Chandigarh: In
adispay of disgust towards the state government,
Punjab's potato cultivators under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal)
threw about 30 quintals of potato crop on road in Khanna on Tuesday.
Seeking intervention of
Punjab government
on this issue, farmers demanded Rs. 200 per quintal as subsidy to be
given by state government to potato farmers in order to bring
farmers out of the present crisis situation.
Uttar Pradesh government has extended financial assistance to
its potato growers, and
Punjab's farmers want the government to take similar step. Drop in
potato prices has bothered farmers who got a bumper crop. The UP
government had fixed Rs. 300 per quintal as minimum price for potato
crop and out of which Rs. 100 per quintal would be borne by state
government.
Potato encounters similar problem every few years and
throwing tons of potatoes on the roads has become a regular form of
protest. In 2001 too, state potato growers destroyed their crop by
throwing almost 30,000 quintals of potato alongside roads in view of
oversupply of crop.
This year, potato prices in state had crashed to almost seven
years low at Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 2 per kg because of the bumper
production achieved by
Punjab potato
growers this year.
Farmers had even demanded minimum sales price of crop and
subsidy on the transportation of potatoes in domestic markets to
minimize the impact of declining prices.
Punjab, which has 4
per cent share in country's total potato production, this year,
brought 80,000 hectares of land under potato cultivation and is
anticipating total potato output of 16-17 lakh metric tonne.
4
February 2009
|
Read Also