Farmers’ woes continue as mandis overflow
MP FARM CRISIS A month has passed since the firing killed five, but farmers are struggling in the face of bureaucratic apathy
In 72 hours, Rajendra Mewada has been through hell.
The 26-year-old onion farmer has driven more than 100 km up and down from his village of Kalyanpur to the Krishi Upaj Mandi in Bhopal, increasingly desperate to sell off his 40 quintals of crop before they rot in the rain. At every step, a maze of government procedures – some of them introduced as recently as last week – and the unavailability of officials without whose signatures Mewada can’t transact, have driven him to tears.
“I was insulted as if I was a criminal, not a farmer. I should have worked as a labourer instead,” he told HT, fuming.
He isn’t the only one. As rain clouds gather, hundreds of onion farmers are queuing up outside government markets across Madhya Pradesh in a last-ditch effort to get some of their investment back before rainfall spoils their produce. But it’s not easy, especially in a year when a glut in supply has sent prices crashing. Onions that used to fetch a price of ₹80/kg two years ago are now selling at ₹4/kg. Moreover, the money is wired in two weeks after the produce is sold.
As a result, thousands have dumped their produce on the roads and many have committed suicide, unable to extricate themselves from a debt trap.
Things came to a head at Mandsaur on June 6, when police firing killed five farmers protesting for a loan waiver and better crop prices. As the agitations snowballed and gained national attention, the BJP government scrambled to put together a lifeline – that the state would buy produce from farmers at mandis at prices double the current market rate. But as Mewada finds out one month later, little has changed.
Overstocked mandis are struggling to store a bumper crop as looming monsoon showers threaten to wipe out produce. In the face of bureaucratic apathy, farmers are crawling under trolleys when rain comes and surviving on a diet of rotis, chillis and onion.
Sample this: Out of the 34 lakh tonnes of onion grown this year – a growth of 30% over that of last year — the government has procured just 6.5 lakh till July 3. The total capacity of warehouses in the state is lesser still: 5.33 lakh metric tonnes.
“We are not expert in storing perishable items like onion and this is the reason behind all the problems. We are trying to help farmers but we also have limits,” said Dnyaneshwar Patil, managing director of the state marketing federation that is in charge of the mandis.
13. Jeevan Singh Meena, 35, Vidisha, reason not known.
14. Pyare Lal Oud, 60, Neemuch, reason not known
15. Bansi Lal Meena, 55, Sehore, debt 16. Laxmi Gomasta, 43, Nursinghpur, debt
17. Shatrughan Meena, 46, Sehore, debt 18. Shyam Kumar, Age not known, Chhindwara, debt
19. Raghuvir Yadav, 28, Chhatarpur, debt
20. Gulai Kurmi, 48, Sagar, harassment by moneylenders
21. Mahesh Tiwari, 75, Chhatarpur, debt
22. Bilaam Singh, 26, Dhar, harassment by moneylenders
23. Bhuwanideen Kushwaha, 36, Chhatarpur, financial hardship
24. Barelal Ahirwar, 65, Tikamgarh , harassment by money lenders.
25. Jahu Singaad, Age not known, Jhabua, financial distress
26. Manohar Singh, 45, Dewas, reason not known. 27. Gheesiya Khan, 70, Khandwa, debt 28. Dalchand Lilhare, Balaghat, debt 29.Pawan Kewat, 20, Indore, debt
30. Jagdish Chowdhary, 45, Sehore, Repeated crop failure.
31. Vechan Balji, 42, Barwani, debt
32. Bhagwan Meghwal, 65, Mandsaur, financial distress
33. Gulab Singh, 53, Hoshangabad, Suicide note held no one responsible 34. Mahariya Barela, 55, Sehore, debt 35. Deena Mahariya, Age not known, Barwani, debt
36. Jugnuram Dhakad, 52, Gwalior, harassment by moneylenders
37. Prem Lal Ahirwar, 23, Sagar district, Harassment by moneylenders
38. Dharam Singh, 45, Tikamgarh, debt
39. Laxman Singh, 50, Mandsaur, Pressure from moneylender
40. Suraj Singh Gurjar, Age not known, Sehore, debt
41. Parshuram Sahu, 65, Sagar, increasing loans