Write your question here (Keep it simple and clear to get the best answer)a letter to the minister of agriculture about the problems facing agriculture
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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.
We appeal to you to kindly order an urgent investigation into the matter and ensure that those responsible for this crisis facing the farmers are held accountable for this. We demand that the government immediately compensate the farmers for the losses they have suffered because of following the directive of the NHB and ensure that the banks waive the loans provided to the farmers.
We are enclosing the following documents for your reference:
1. Letter from the affected farmers to the Vice President of Lok Raj Sangathan, Shri Hanuman Prasad Sharma
2. Letter to the district collector and district magistrate, Hanumangarh
3. Letter to the Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Jaipur
4. Letter to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan
5. Letter to the Honourable Agriculture Minister from the youth Congress General Secretary, Nohar
6. Letter to the Director of Plantations, Jaipur
7. Letters to various officials in the Department of Plantations, Hanumagarh district
8. Letter to the director of the National Horticulture Board
9. Letter to the President, All India Council, Lok Raj Sangathan
10. Statement issued by the affected farmers to highlight their condition
11. Newspaper reports of the conditions of the farmers, their repeated appeals to the authorities and their agitation
Thanking you
Sincerely yours
S. Raghavan
President, Lok Raj Sangathan