Bye-Bye 2020: This year was not good for farmers during the Coron epidemic (COVID-19). This year, the farmers had to face many problems, while in the name of relief, they could not bear much.
Jaipur. The year 2020 was very important in terms of agriculture. There were many such incidents this year that made the farmers cry tears of blood, and some decisions of the state government also gave partial relief to the farmers. Locusts wreaked havoc on the farmers this year, while politics remained hot over the purchase of fodder. In this game of politics, the farmer has not yet had anything. If the farmer has come on the roads regarding the Central Agricultural Laws, then he got some concessions in the lockdown of the Corona era.
Large scale locust outbreak in the state in 2020Happened which troubled the farmers. This year on 11 April 2020, locusts entered the state and within a few days, they spread throughout the state. Locust outbreaks occurred in all 32 districts except Banswara district. About 6 lakh 41 thousand hectare area was affected due to locusts. The Department of Agriculture and the locust control organization made large-scale locust control efforts. Due to these efforts, locust control was done in about 5 lakh 21 thousand hectare area. For the control of locusts, pesticides were also provided free of cost by the state government.
Ruckus on the market
In November, a tweet made by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the purchase of millet created a big mess. Khattar tweeted that Rajasthan's millet will not be purchased in Haryana. In fact, in Haryana, millet was being purchased at a rate of Rs 2150 a quintal, whereas in the mandies of Rajasthan, millet was being sold at a rate of about Rs 1300 per quintal. This tweet made about Khattar's millet purchase caught political tensions and there were a lot of statements about it in favor and opposition.
The struggle over agricultural laws
There was strong opposition to the three agricultural laws brought by the central government in Rajasthan as well. Farmers and mandi traders of Rajasthan were seen to play an active role in this movement. It was also supported by various political parties including the ruling Congress party in the state. The state government brought its amendments to protest against these agricultural laws. Market traders kept the mandies closed repeatedly and expressed their opposition to these laws. On the other hand, the farmers of Rajasthan also announced the Delhi Cooch in protest against the agricultural laws and also blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway on the Shahjahanpur border. The National Democratic Party included in the NDA also stood in favor of these agricultural laws and took a stand against the opposition of the Central Government.
Many reliefs received in lockdown
During the lockdown, many reliefs were given to the farmers by the government. For this, farmers do not have to sell their produce at a small price. Under the scheme, farmers were given loans at a mere 3 percent interest rate instead of 11 percent for pledging their produce. At the same time, about 550 village service cooperative societies and purchase and sale cooperatives were declared as secondary markets so that farmers do not have to go far away from home to sell produce. The number of centers for the procurement of crops at the minimum support price was also increased by about 3 times.
Dry crop in the fields
This year, the lockdown hit the farmers too. Cultivation of vegetables and flowers was completely ruined in the lockdown. Due to the stagnation of demand, farmers were forced to let their crops dry in the fields. Not only this, the farmers had to sell the product even at one and a quarter prices. Along with the farmers, the cattle ranchers also had to bear the huge brunt during the lockdown. The situation even became such that the farmers had to feed the animals back only by making buttermilk of milk.