Farmers agitate over absence of subsidy

SHILLONG, FEB 5: Farmers from East Khasi hills, Ri Bhoi and West Khasi hills staged a sit-in-demonstration to protest against the Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA-II) government failure to provide subsidy and fertilizers to them for several months now.

Farmers carried placards to ventilate their grievances during the sit in demonstration organized by the Meghalaya Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) near the Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

“The failure of the state government to provide the fertilizers and subsidy has affected the farmers, who are depends in agricultural activities for their livelihood ,” Venan Lyngdoh who is a farmer from Mairang said.

Lyngdoh complaint that agricultural produce has decreased and the economic well being of the farmers have also been affected due to non-availability of fertilizers. He said, “Farmers are going through hard times in clearing their loans borrowed from the banks.”

According to Lyngdoh, the government during preceding years provided fertilizers such as Urea, SSP, DAP and MOP at a reasonable rate of Rs 250.

Some of the farmers said that they are forced to buy fertilizers in black market at double the price of the subsidy rate provided by the government.

The decision to agitate was also taken after the state government failed to respond to the demand of  the farmers since last year seeking for immediate redressal.

“We had approach the principal secretary in charge of agriculture department in November last year requesting the government to immediately provide the fertilizers to the farmers, but unfortunately till date there is no response from its end,” president of the BJP Youth Wing Egenstar Kurkalang told reporters.

Kurkalang  recalled that during the meeting with the department’s director some of the farmers had even cried while placing their grievances.  “We had also sought appointment with the chief  minister Mukul Sangma, who is also looking after the agriculture department, but till today he has choosen to avoid meeting the farmers and resolve their problems,” he said.

Kurkalang informed that the Ministry of Fertilizer had already sanctioned up to 1500 metric ton of fertilizers for Meghalaya to the supplier company – BVFC.

“But the state government however failed to renew the license of the BVFC company due to reason not known to us. Due to this, the company could not distribute the sanctioned fertilizers to the farmers,” Kurkalang said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded the state government immediately address the problems faced by the farmers within one week time. “The government should take responsibility of paying the loans of the farmers, taking care of their livelihood if it fails to comply with the demand,” Kurkalang said.

Quoting the AICC general secretary in charge Meghalaya V Narayanasamy who during his visit to the state blamed the BJP government at the centre for being anti – farmers, state BJP general secretary Dipayan Chakraborty said, “But looking at the present situation, it clearly shows that the Congress itself is anti-poor, anti-farmers and anti-people.”

Chakraborty said that the people who are demonstrating today will prove who is anti farmers, the BJP or the Congress.- By Our Reporter