We’re just vote bank, not much hope from budget, say farmers

LUDHIANA:AS Union finance minister Arun Jaitley presents the union Budget on Thursday, the state’s farmers seem disillusioned as all governments have failed to implement even a single recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission report released in 2006.

Over the past few years, farmers in the state have faced crop damage due to whitefly attack and other natural calamities leading to low yield and pushing them into debt trap. A door-todoor survey in six districts — Sangrur, Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Ludhiana and Moga — has found that a total of 14,667 farm labourers and farmers committed suicide between 2000 and 2015. A common refrain is that they have been reduced to a mere vote bank and had government been concerned, it would have taken solid steps to save them from debt and increase income.

‘FARMERS LAST PRIORITY FOR PRO-INDUSTRY GOV’

State president of Punjab Kisan Union, Ruldu Singh, said, “There is no priority being given to farmers. Before the polls, the state government had promised complete debt waiver. On coming to power, they started asking for budget for this from the Centre. The Union government went back on its word on promise to implement the Swaminathan Commission report.”

Members of Punjab Agricultural University Farmers Club said that the government should focus on marketing and crop diversification to ensure that farmers don’t fall into debt trap. “Farmers in Punjab are progressive. It is time that the governments should incentivise them by improving post-harvest management,” said Manpreet Grewal from Ludhiana.

Dr Darshan Pal of All-india Kisan Sangharsh Committee said, “The government should waive complete debt of farmers who own up to ten acres and provide loans at lower simple interest rates. The government seems more interested in saving the service sector than the agrarian sector. Thus, we see more debt waiver for big corporate houses, but none for the farmers,” said Pal. Noted agricultural analyst Devinder Sharma said farmers in Punjab don’t need modernisation techniques. “We have cold storage and even then the farmers produce is getting dumped on streets. Farmers in the state need monetary assistance.”