Maharashtra farmerss Reject Maharashtra CM relief Package-VJAS

Maharashtra farmerss Reject Maharashtra CM relief Package-VJAS

Nagpur-24^th december2011

The Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced yesterday the details of the Rs2,000-crore compensation package for cotton, paddy and soya farmers on the concluding day of the state legislature’s winter session which has completely disappointed 7 million debt trapped cotton ,soya and paddy rowers of Maharashtra when CM said dying distressed cotton farmer would get Rs4,000 per hectare whereas paddy and soya farmers would be given Rs2,000 per hectare in cash to maximum limit of 2 hector per farm family more over two hectares is the maximum limit for the relief, paddy and soya farmers would get the compensation only if their loss is 25% or more giving the scope for administration to reject most crop failure and agrarian crisis hit farmers will not get anything in their hands. Its better to not announce the package at all,” said, Kishor Tiwari, president of Nagpur-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), activist group working for cotton farmer rights in a Press release today.

“farmers of vidarbha region are demanding hike in cotton procurement price to @ Rs.6000/- in order to compensate the losses incurred by them and cash compensation @ Rs.20,000 per hector but state has announced Rs.2000 crore for nearly 90 lakh hector which will peanut hence there is demand to revised the relief package and to sort out issues of dry land farmers which are victims of Agrarian crisis and needs income base incentive to stop their on going suicides and such steps are must and should taken without delay but CM salient over the price front and long term solution likely trigger further fall of cotton prices and will additional fuel to farm suicide spiral which has killed more than 8000 cotton farmer since 2004 in west vidarbha alone ” ,Tiwari added.

Maharashtra DF Govt. today most waited announcement of giving Rs.2000 crore relief package for 40 lakhs hector crop loss compensation is another eyewash as earlier vidarbha farmer packages of year 2005 and 2006 has dashed hopes of more than 5 million farmers who are facing severe economical crisis due to massive crop failure who are demanding the bailout package and hike in MSP of cotton ,soybean and paddy as this will trigger another spiral of farmer suicides having failed to address the basic issue of price and future sustainability of dying agrarian community ,Kishor Tiwari added.

‘It was most expected that after CM indicated earlier that bankrupt financial condition of Maharashtra can’t even give Rs.8000/- per farm family maximum to 5 millions cotton farmers where there is crop failure against the demand of Rs.10,000/- and the cotton farmers of western vidarbha will get nothing as administration has shown minimum crop failure in this region and now out 70 lakh hector area under cultivation of cotton, soya and paddy whop will get what that god know?. Farmers and all parties including congress NCP that MRP hike in cotton ,soya and paddy and cash compensation in line with sugarcane growers of western Maharashtra but once again Govt. has mad mockery of agrarian crisis and announced such penny relief which is nothing but hoax’ Tiwari added.

‘we are demanding long term solution to agrarian crisis not any package which are mostly contractor driven and designed to rehabilitation of the ill managed politician runs cooperative banks. our farmers are working for handful MNCs who are manufacturing Gm seed, fertilizer and pesticides and revival of own agriculture is must which is not being done ’ Tiwari said.

"There is a need for state government's intervention in this regard. The government should provide at least Rs 6,000 per quintal. The chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised that he would talk with the union government for better support price for the raw cotton. However, nothing has been done in this regard," Tiwari alleged.