Real
News Agency
Farmers across Jammu region are becoming subject of
frustration due to dearth of various types of fertilizers required for the cultivation
of seasonal crops. Pleas, protests and memorandums hardly seem to have any
effect upon the ministers and officials at the helm of affairs. On one hand
side government is taking steps to make cultivation of Jammu farmers worth
export to make their living conditions stable with their crop fetching good
returns and on the other hand fails to provide required quota of fertilizers to
peasants on due time at reasonable rates. Upon all this black marketing of
fertilizers add salt to the wounds of the farmers’ community.
Politicians, MLAs, social leaders and leaders of farmer fraternity
are raising hue and cry for the last about one month and demanding for availability
of fertilizers in the region for up coming crops, but no heed is being paid to
their voice. Recently, Kisaan Movement staged protest in front of Deputy Commissioners
Office at Kathua against local administration and state government for not doing
justice with farmers by not mitigating the problems being faced by them.
Convener, Kisaan Movement Hurmat Singh accused that administration and state
government for deliberately boosting private market players to purchase the
paddy produce at less rates ranging from Rs700 to Rs 800, while the centre
government has fixed the rates from Rs. 1000 to Rs 1030. He said despite
submitting several memorandums to government for timely availability of
fertilizers and seeds nothing has been done in this regard. Leaders also threatened
statewide agitation if their demand is not met.
Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir recently presented
a resume of the measures the State government has taken for giving fillip to agricultural
activities in the State and helping economic welfare of people associated with
farming. Mir said that Agriculture Department was finalizing a Mission for
Basmati cultivation in Jammu similar to that of Saffron Mission approved by the
Centre Government for the Valley. “Our efforts are to get the project approved
from the Union Government and give new dimension to the production and
marketing of Basmati in Jammu”. Similar were the views of Revenue Minister, Raman
Bhalla, while talking to media persons.
BJP MLA, Choudary Sukhnandan,
MLC Congress Ravinder Sharma, farmer leaders and social leaders from Doda, Kathua,
Samba, Rajouri district and adjoining areas have expressed dissatisfaction with
the arrangements of government in making availability of fertilizers to farmers
of the region. It is important to mention that on November 11 at least 6
persons were arrested by police for black marketing fertilizers and also seized
1,064 bags of DAP, potash and urea. Government fails to provide fertilizers
available on the other hand black marketers are selling the products at higher
rates and have no dearth. Question worth answer is that are these black
marketers powerful than the government of the day?
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