Write a short note on the hardship faced by the farmers in Bengal under the company
Answers
Explanation:
Mohammed Anwar Hussain is a third generation mango farmer and trader in Malda. He hasn’t seen any intervention of any government in the 50 years he has spent in the mango orchards.
He produces many varieties of the famous Malda mangoes, but often finds it difficult to send them even to nearby States due to lack of processing.
“Be it the Congress, or the Left Front or the Trinamool Congress governments — all of them gave us promises of better facilities such as cold storages. We are yet to see one in our area,” said Hussain, who grows about 100 tonnes of mangoes in a season.
Lost potential
There are a number of families in the area who make a living from mango cultivation.
“There is so much potential for agro-based industries in this area of the State.
“But the Trinamool government has taken a stand against farmers and against development,” said Mausam Noor, the area MP.
The Left Front has made the “agrarian distress” a key political issue in the ongoing campaign.
Farmer suicides
“West Bengal has witnessed a number of farmer suicides during the last five years. Tobacco, paddy, potato and silk farmers are under severe distress due to the collapse of the government mechanism in the agriculture sector,” said Amol Haldar, leader of Kisan Sabha.
“This government broke the procurement infrastructure. Middlemen are controlling the sector now,” he added.
West Bengal Food Processing Minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, however, refutes such criticisms, claiming them to be politically motivated ones.
“These are politically motivated statements. We have launched several multipurpose cold storages in the last five years in the area. A food park was opened in Jangipur. A state-of-the art food and horticulture research and development centre is functioning in Malda.
“Markets opened in each block to save farmers from middlemen,” he said.
Farmers, however, are as unhappy with the Trinamool government as with its predecessor Left government.
“During the Left Front regime, pendency of money from rice mills was very high and the delay was for six to eight months.
“Now we get money from rice mills in two-three months if any of the Trinamool leaders in the locality recommend our case. But we will have to give them commission,” said Manik, a rice farmer in Murshidabad district.
He further complains that the government has done little to improve irrigation facilities.
“We did not get water from Damodar Valley Corporation this year. We used to get approximately 13,000 kg of potatoes from an acre. This year the yield has been reduced to 7,000 kg,” said Raj, a potato farmer in the district.
Raj added that jute farming is also in crisis as the government stopped procurement and the minimum support price is not sufficient.
Slower growth
Left-wing economist Prasenjit Bose points out that since 1992-93, agricultural growth in West Bengal has slowed to an annual average of around 3 per cent, which is just slightly higher than the all-India average.
“During the tenure of the last Left Frong government, ie between 2006-07 and 2010-11, agricultural growth came down to 2.45 per cent.
“Irrespective of what the government claims, between 2011-12 and 2012-13, agricultural growth has slowed down further to 2.2 per cent. There is a steady slow down in agriculture in the last few years, which continued under the TMC-led government,” Bose said.
“Collapse of procurement worsened the situation. The Centre and State government have reduced spending in the rural sector,”