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Plight of farmer's in Hojai district, acres of vegetables rotting

Hojai: The countrywide lockdown has hit hard the farmers in Mainapur, Laskharpathar, Bhimarali, Chikarigate, Amtola, Milikbasti, Daryabasti, Nayanpur, Kaki area in the district. Farm produce is now rotting away in the fields. The farmers are now in complete distress and dilemma amid lockdown, as markets are closed.

"Around 300 families of Amtola Village,5 km away from the main town are solely dependant on cultivation, each day passing our tonnes of tomato, lemon, pepper, ladyfinger, bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower are spoiling, no facility the farmer's here received from administration to selloff the vegetables, however, we somehow managed to sale some of our productions.", Jay Prakash Chauhan, a farmer told.

Chauhan said," We are farmer's our whole survival depends on cultivation, the government should take appropriate measures immediately  to bare us from financial loss."

In Mainapur, 500 families are dependent on cultivation. They are bearing double trouble of financial loss and elephant menace in the area.

Vegetable Farmer Anup Kumar Bhagat along with his brother Ganesh Bhagat cultivates cabbage and cauliflower on his farm at Mainapur, around 10 kilometers away from the main town.

"We are highly worried about our future prospects, as our capital was invested in sowing one lakh seeds of vegetables, plus labour cost and other expenses, in about eight bigha's of land, and now our entire cultivation is spoiled.   We have not received any help from the administration to sale our vegetables.", Bhagat Brother's said.

"However, out of hundred tonnes of our annual cultivation, we are able to sale fifty percent before the lockdown was imposed, i.e pre lockdown we use to sale around 1.5 tonnes daily, but after lockdown within these 31 days, We have not even sold one kg of vegetable.", Bhagat Brother's said.

They further said, "We understand that due to Coronavirus outbreak, the government had to take a strict decision of this long 40 days  lockdown  to save our Nation from this pandemic but the government has to sort out some measures to compensate us adding they said at least government should bear the fifty per cent of our loss and rest we are ready to manage ."

Sexagenarian farmer Jivanand Prasad Malla is irate with the policies of the Government.

"Each and Every farmer are at the stage of committing suicide as each of us are burdened with loan.", Malla said.

Malla said his entire cultivation i.e cauliflower in four bigha, cabbage in one bigha,  chilli in five bigha are rotting.

Malla further said that the Government doesn't care whether the farmers are alive or dead, the administration just gives us solace. But no appropriate action was taken till date to solve our plight, all our hardship went in vain."

The farmers have urged the government to quickly find a proper solution to their misery.

Author info

Nikhil Mundra's picture

Journalist Based in Hojai Town.

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