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Farmers feel pinch of fall in veggie prices, protest

Gurgaon: Farmers of Mewat, Palwal and Gurgaon on Wednesday lent their support to a state-wide protest against falling prices of perishable fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and bottle gourd. The one-day state-wide protest by farmers — who gathered in few numbers outside their houses, farms, and village common points, following social distancing norms — was part of a country-wide protest called by All India Kisan Sabha.



These farmers of Mewat, Palwal and Gurgaon claim that the migrant exodus in NCR and the “unplanned” lockdown have led to a steep fall in demands. Additionally, as food processing units and hotels have been shut for nearly two months, the commercial demand has also crashed massively.

Moreover, due to an increase in market fees in mandis, commission agents have also dropped the purchase price of vegetables.

“For the past two months, selling produce in the market has been a daunting task. Earlier, we would be severely thrashed by cops for going to mandis to sell our produce. And by the time restrictions eased, we don’t want to go to the mandis. There are no takers for bottle gourds, while tomatoes and cauliflowers are being sold at throwaway prices. Our investment in taking the crops to mandis exceed the price we get from traders,” said Irshad, a farmer from Mewat.

Moreover, due to the increase in market fees in mandis, commission agents have dropped the purchase price of the vegetables. With a total cost of production pegged around Rs 8-10 per kg, wholesale prices of tomatoes at mandis are mere Re 1 per kg against the retail price of Rs 20-30 a kg. As a result, many farmers are destroying their crops and not sending to the markets.

The farmers have demanded loan waivers, easy credit for kharif season, Rs 10,000 per family as compensation from governments, mimimum selling price at 1.5 times of the input cost and compensation for the losses in rabi season, among others.

“The entire lockdown was unplanned and pitted against farmers and poor migrant workers. No stimulus to check the drop in the demand side. Even the MSP set by states are way below the input cost. Farmers need to be compensated as this situation was because of the mismanagement of the government. Even the private companies that governments have tied up with are paying way less,” said Prem Singh Gahlawat of Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha.

Meanwhile, the state’s horticulture department has claimed that they have covered nearly nine perishable vegetables and fixed their MSP after scientific calculation of input cost. “Moreover, the government is now tying up with various food processing units to help generate demand and also contributing 50% of the transportation cost,” an official said.

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