Rajay Deep

Bathinda

Fears of low price haunt potato growers . Cultivation season has just begun and the wrinkles of distress are again visible on the face of potato growers. Thanks to the poor price of their crop, which they had sowed with a hope to see a positive change after suffering loss for past three cultivation seasons, the farmers have again started estimating the expected loss.With Doaba growers already throwing potatoes on road on seeing the crop prices being stuck somewhere between Rs 150 and Rs 200 per bag of 50 kgs, the cultivators in Malwa region are also not finding any other option than to follow them in the days ahead.Rampura and Maur blocks in Bathinda district are the hub of potato growers in Malwa region.

Visiting the fields, Daily Post observed farmers apprehensive about the remuneration this year too, though the production is expected to be higher owing to favourable climatic conditions. According to horticulture experts, About 80 per cent of the harvest in Punjab comes during the peak season of February and March but just like Doaba region, various farmers in Malwa also do start harvesting the crop in January month.The horticulture department of the state, as learnt, expects the potato production this season touching 2.5 million tonnes, which is said to be an appreciable quantity.Darshan Singh Sidhu, who cultivates potato crop in 36 acres of land in Rampura, claimed that the current purchase price of the crop was quite depressing.”We are being offered Rs 150 for a bag of 50 kg of potatoes and in one acre of field, provided the best climatic condition, we get 100 quintals of the crop in a season,” shared Sidhu.

Sharing their plight, other potato growers in the region informed that only those among them are meeting the expenses who prepare the seed in their own fields. Otherwise, one has to purchase 15 to 18 bags of seed, which costs Rs 700 to Rs 800 per bag.Shamsher Singh, who owns 19 acres of agricultural land, apprised that the total cost of pesticides and fertilisers along with the labour inputs of sowing, harvesting, filling and loading bags cross Rs 25,000 per acre.

The farmers blamed the poor implementation of demonetisation and absence of export policy in the country for their poor condition.”The big players including the traders and industrialists, who used to buy the crop in past have now squeezed their purchasing capacities. No body wants to land in trouble for the GST being in force,” said a group of potato growers of the region.They further added that the condition was not going to improve till the government comes up with a pro-farmer export policy as this crop has worldwide demand but the farmers in their individual capacity are unable to tap the global market.

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