Vidarbha cotton farmers to start protest from 29 the December exclusion from Relief Package: Administration survey confirm crop damages in more than Half Million hector
Recently announced Maharashtra New Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s Rs.1000 crore farm relief package to wet drought hit farmers excluded all most all 80% drought hit vidarbha farmers even after local administration has confirmed the crop failure more than 50% in the 5,50,000 hector as per ‘Panchnama’ or spot verification as per century old orthodox ‘Anewari System’ has disappointed more than three million debt trapped cotton and soybean growers suicide prone west vidarbha as announced relief is peanut will not compensate the farmers huge losses to 5% and needy farmers will not get the relief aid due to faulty survey and problems orthodox ‘Anewari System’ in view of new aggressive farming methods and unusual jump in cultivation cost this year hence all drought hit cotton farmers will start protest stir from 29th December 2010 ,demanding the extension of relief package to all drought hit vidarbha farmers ,vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS) ,the main advocacy of west vidarbha cotton growers has urged Maharashtra Govt. to arrange special economic relief to compensate cotton farmers losses, Kishor Tiwari of VJAS informed in press release today.
‘we will start will Dharna Agitation followed road blocked and indefinite fast as last resort to get the relief for dying farmers of west vidarbha who are committing suicides three in day since June 2005 taking toll to more than 8000 ’ Tiwari said
The record excessive and untimely rain till today in all cotton growing area has not only damaged most of Bt.cotton crop but increased the cultivation cost to double but expected yield is likely to reduce to 50% resulting more than Rs.5,000 crore huge financial losses to
| District | Crop damaged in hector as per official survey of |
| Chandrapur | 1,26,000 |
| | 93,000 |
| Yavatmal | 85,000 |
| Wardha | 58,000 |
| | 53,000 |
| Gadchiroli | 47,000 |
| Bhandara | 34,000 |
| Amaravti | 29,000 |
| Buldhana | 11,000 |
| Washim | 12,000 |
| Gondia | 13,000 |
| Total | 5,50,000 Hector |
‘Actual losses are not truly reflected in the recent Govt. survey and crop damage area is much higher than the shown figure of administration as for cotton and soybean the ‘Anewari System’ of Panchnama is ridiculous when Govt. says cotton and soybean yield 3 quintal and 5 quintal per hector respectively is bumper crop where as net yield is less than 50% where as cultivation cost has been doubled and this fact should viewed seriously ‘Tiwari urged .
Even Maharashtra is set give record production of cotton due heavy increase in cultivation area, the cost of cultivation which has reached to record Rs.40,000/- per hector has completely disturbed economic stability of the reason more it has spread agrarian crisis to other part of Maharashtra from west vidarbha but this serious issue is being ignored by Maharashtra administration hence we have written to chief minister so that the corrective action to bail out more than 5 million farmers can be taken ,VJAS added in press release .
“Though the market prices are above Rs.4000/- per quintal much above the minimum support price of the state, till farmers are loosing Rs.12,000/- per hector thanks to the exploitation of private traders and non-intervention of Maharashtra cotton federation when international prices are above RS.500/- per quintal” Tiwari said.
VJAS has brought another shocking fact before the chief minister that more than 70% finance for cotton crop cultivation is given by private micro finance institutes MFI as against Rs.9600 crore total cost of cultivation ,state owned banks have given only Rs.1460 crore which has been most disturbing facts that is adding fuel in the despair of farmers as MFI style of finance and recoveries are through local self help group(SHG) which are now acting as shelf recovery group(SRG) which needs to be banned immediately to stop innocent victimization debt trapped cotton farmers.
‘The cotton crop failure in Maharashtra is very serious issue but in the recent announcement the on Maharashtra agrarian crisis and Rs.1000 crore bail out package have not covered hence we have approached chief minister who is keen to bring Maharashtra agrarian economy on track and wants to stop on going cotton farmers suicides. VJAS has promised all constructive help to the Maharashtra chief minister if he is really serious to address the mass genocide of farming community as cotton farmers economic crisis is policy driven not the nature driven ’Tiwari assured .
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