Haryana's vegetable farmers are on the verge of financial ruin: Deepender Hooda

CHANDIGARH: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda has expressed deep concern over the plight of vegetables farmers across the state and said vegetable farmers have been pushed to financial ruin, like other farmers in the state.
This is the reason why the farmers of Tosham have been forced to start an agitation against the state government, even as the world in a lockdown due to the Corona pandemic. Tomatoes, capsicum and other vegetables produced by them are not being sold and thousands of quintals of vegetables are rotting, forcing farmers to feed it to their animals.
Deepender said customers are buying tomatoes at Rs 20 to 30 per kg but the farmer is getting only Rs 2 to 5 per kg. Vegetables like cucumber, capsicum, cabbage, potato, onion and chilli meet a similar fate as these vegetables are being sold at high prices while the farmer is getting nothing.
The reason, Hooda said, is that the rates decided by the government in its Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana are so low that the farmer is not able to meet the cost of incurred to grow the crop. It is difficult to for the farmer to recover land and transport expenses at the rates declared by the government.
Hooda said the rates of Rs 5 and 6 are not the real Bhavantar rates, rather the government should calculate the rate difference between what the customer pays and what the farmer gets. The government should devise a scheme to compensate for the real difference between the farmers.
The Rajya Sabha MP gave the example of onions under the Bhavantar Yojana and said the government gives a rate of only Rs 6.50 to the farmer whereas, common people are getting onions at the rate of Rs 30 to 40 per kg and sometimes the market rate of onions goes beyond Rs 100 per kg. “Instead of getting the real difference of 90-95 rupees, the farmer gets only Rs 6.50 and a majority of the famers get even less,” Deepender said.
“On one hand, the government is banning paddy sowing in large parts of the state and asking farmers to grow vegetables and other crops. On the other hand, those who grow vegetables are not given proper rates. This is the reason why the anger among the farmers is growing,” he said.
Deepender announced his support for the agitating farmers of Tosham and said the government should immediately talk to the farmers. He urged the government to take cognizance of the misery of vegetable producers Tosham, Indri, Sonepat and other parts of the state and demanded urgent intervention.