Write a letter to the environment ministry of our country urging him /her to take steps to prevent farmers from burning the crop stubbless in their fields that cause a lot of pollution
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May 23, 2012
New Delhi
To
The Honourable Minister for
Agriculture
Shri Sharad Pawar
KRISHI BHAVAN
SUBJECT:
(1) REQUEST YOUR URGENT
INTERVENTION TO ENSURE JUSTICE
FOR THE RUINED POMEGRENATE
FARMERS OF HANUMANGARH
DISTRICT, RAJASTHAN, WHO ARE
THREATENING MASS SUICIDE
AFTER FAILING TO GUEST JUSTICE
SO FAR
(2) REQUEST THAT YOU KINDLY
GRANT A MEETING WITH A
DELEGATION OF AFFECTED
FARMERS OF HANUMANGARH
DISTRICT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Sir,
This is to draw your attention to the
terrible plight of pomegranate
farmers in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
Hundreds of farmers of
Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan
who planted pomegranate saplings in
their farms since 2005-2006 have
gone bankrupt. For the past 4 years,
they have been demanding that the
concerned agricultural and
horticultural departments of the
Central and State governments fulfill
their promises to the farmers.
However, the requests of the farmers
have fallen on deaf years. As the
farmers say, there has been a lot of
paper action and passing of the buck
between different ministries, but no
relief on the ground.
It may be noted that in 2005-2006, as
part of the plan of the National
Horticultural Board (Rashtriya
Bagvani Board) to promote
Horticulture farming, the
representatives of this Board came to
encourage the farmers of
Hanumangarh to take up
Pomegranate farming. They did a
massive promotional campaign
including seminars, and offered all
kinds of incentives, as well as
created a rosy picture of how much
monies the farmers would make from
switching from traditional crops to
Pomegranate farming. They
organized training camps. They
distributed literature in which it was
explicitly mentioned that
Hanumangarh district was in every
way extremely
suitable for growing Anars. The
officials announced that 20% of the
capital required for the plantations
would be provided as grant by the
NHB. The officials prepared a project
report. The officials of the NHB
directed which companies the
farmers should buy the inputs
necessary. They organized meetings
between specialists working in these
companies and the farmers. The NHB
officials also declared that that only
those farmers would get the grant
who followed strictly the flowing
norms — the farmers must construct
diggis in their farms, they must adopt
drip irrigation, (boond boond
padvati), protect the farms with
barbed wire fencing , take loans from
banks, and then plant anar saplings.
They were also asked to construct
housing for agricultural workers
working on their farms as per the
instructions of the NHB. Trusting the
NHB officials and the government,
many farmers of the district began
converting their farms to Anar farms
in the period 2005 to 2008.
For this, they created infrastructure
including diggi construction, drip
irrigation, electric motors or diesel
pump sets, storage house, and
residential quarters for workers in
their farms. To be eligible for the
grant, they had to take loan from the
banks reccomended by the NHB
which all farmers did.
Anar trees flower after three years.
When the farmers looked hopefully
for a good crop in 2008, they were in
for complete disappointment. The
Anars were spotted, diseased and
broke up on their own.
The farmers contacted the
department officials, but there was
no assistance from them. After the
farmers went to the media and
complained to all possible officials,
only in September 2009 did teams
from the department care to visit the
farms. These included people from
the agricultural university as well as
from the agricultural department. A
month later, a team from the
National Anar Research Center from
Solapur (Maharashtra) surveyed the
farms. This team clearly stated in its
report that there was bacterial blight
in the crops. The team blamed the
farmers themselves for using
infected saplings. They alleged that
the farmers had on their bought the
anar saplings from Malegaon,
Maharashtra. Whereas the truth is
that the farmers simply followed the
instructions of the officials of the
department.
After this, the concerned
departments declared that a
maximum of 50% of the cost of using
herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers etc.
necessary to get rid of the bacterial
blight, or 25,000 Rupees per hectare
would be provided as grant under
provisions of the Rashtriya Krishi
Vikas Yojana. This too was provided
only to those farmers who had
planted anar saplings before
September 2007. In fact, the farmers
spent Rs 51,000 per hectare in this
manner and got back Rs 25,000 per
hectare. However, all this expenditure
did not result in improvement of
crops. After this, the farmers lost all
hope. They wrote letters to the Chief
Minister and to all concerned
officials. No action has been taken
on the ground to provide them relief.
Instead, the banks are hounding the
farmers for repayment of the loans
and interest. The farmers have not
only lost the regular income they
would have got if they had stuck to
traditional crops, they are saddled
with massive debt to the banks, and
no income for several years.
New Delhi
To
The Honourable Minister for
Agriculture
Shri Sharad Pawar
KRISHI BHAVAN
SUBJECT:
(1) REQUEST YOUR URGENT
INTERVENTION TO ENSURE JUSTICE
FOR THE RUINED POMEGRENATE
FARMERS OF HANUMANGARH
DISTRICT, RAJASTHAN, WHO ARE
THREATENING MASS SUICIDE
AFTER FAILING TO GUEST JUSTICE
SO FAR
(2) REQUEST THAT YOU KINDLY
GRANT A MEETING WITH A
DELEGATION OF AFFECTED
FARMERS OF HANUMANGARH
DISTRICT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Sir,
This is to draw your attention to the
terrible plight of pomegranate
farmers in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
Hundreds of farmers of
Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan
who planted pomegranate saplings in
their farms since 2005-2006 have
gone bankrupt. For the past 4 years,
they have been demanding that the
concerned agricultural and
horticultural departments of the
Central and State governments fulfill
their promises to the farmers.
However, the requests of the farmers
have fallen on deaf years. As the
farmers say, there has been a lot of
paper action and passing of the buck
between different ministries, but no
relief on the ground.
It may be noted that in 2005-2006, as
part of the plan of the National
Horticultural Board (Rashtriya
Bagvani Board) to promote
Horticulture farming, the
representatives of this Board came to
encourage the farmers of
Hanumangarh to take up
Pomegranate farming. They did a
massive promotional campaign
including seminars, and offered all
kinds of incentives, as well as
created a rosy picture of how much
monies the farmers would make from
switching from traditional crops to
Pomegranate farming. They
organized training camps. They
distributed literature in which it was
explicitly mentioned that
Hanumangarh district was in every
way extremely
suitable for growing Anars. The
officials announced that 20% of the
capital required for the plantations
would be provided as grant by the
NHB. The officials prepared a project
report. The officials of the NHB
directed which companies the
farmers should buy the inputs
necessary. They organized meetings
between specialists working in these
companies and the farmers. The NHB
officials also declared that that only
those farmers would get the grant
who followed strictly the flowing
norms — the farmers must construct
diggis in their farms, they must adopt
drip irrigation, (boond boond
padvati), protect the farms with
barbed wire fencing , take loans from
banks, and then plant anar saplings.
They were also asked to construct
housing for agricultural workers
working on their farms as per the
instructions of the NHB. Trusting the
NHB officials and the government,
many farmers of the district began
converting their farms to Anar farms
in the period 2005 to 2008.
For this, they created infrastructure
including diggi construction, drip
irrigation, electric motors or diesel
pump sets, storage house, and
residential quarters for workers in
their farms. To be eligible for the
grant, they had to take loan from the
banks reccomended by the NHB
which all farmers did.
Anar trees flower after three years.
When the farmers looked hopefully
for a good crop in 2008, they were in
for complete disappointment. The
Anars were spotted, diseased and
broke up on their own.
The farmers contacted the
department officials, but there was
no assistance from them. After the
farmers went to the media and
complained to all possible officials,
only in September 2009 did teams
from the department care to visit the
farms. These included people from
the agricultural university as well as
from the agricultural department. A
month later, a team from the
National Anar Research Center from
Solapur (Maharashtra) surveyed the
farms. This team clearly stated in its
report that there was bacterial blight
in the crops. The team blamed the
farmers themselves for using
infected saplings. They alleged that
the farmers had on their bought the
anar saplings from Malegaon,
Maharashtra. Whereas the truth is
that the farmers simply followed the
instructions of the officials of the
department.
After this, the concerned
departments declared that a
maximum of 50% of the cost of using
herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers etc.
necessary to get rid of the bacterial
blight, or 25,000 Rupees per hectare
would be provided as grant under
provisions of the Rashtriya Krishi
Vikas Yojana. This too was provided
only to those farmers who had
planted anar saplings before
September 2007. In fact, the farmers
spent Rs 51,000 per hectare in this
manner and got back Rs 25,000 per
hectare. However, all this expenditure
did not result in improvement of
crops. After this, the farmers lost all
hope. They wrote letters to the Chief
Minister and to all concerned
officials. No action has been taken
on the ground to provide them relief.
Instead, the banks are hounding the
farmers for repayment of the loans
and interest. The farmers have not
only lost the regular income they
would have got if they had stuck to
traditional crops, they are saddled
with massive debt to the banks, and
no income for several years.
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