Amid curfew, the prices of vegetables have crashed in wholesale markets across the state. Staring at losses, the vegetable growers have appealed to the state government to buy their stock at a fixed price and bail them out of the crisis.
As a mark of protest, some growers are even throwing away their vegetables. Farmers of Bhaini Bagha village in Mansa today threw their capsicum on the Bathinda-Mansa highway as no one was paying them more than Rs 2 per kg for their produce. “If the situation doesn’t improve, farmers will not opt for crop diversification. It is high time the government intervened,” said Harjit Singh, a farmer.
“Due to curfew, growers are unable to send their produce to wholesale markets. This is resulting in a glut in mandis and prices crashing in wholesale markets,” said an official at the wholesale vegetable market here.
Meanwhile, KS Pannu, Secretary, Agriculture, said, “It is a fact that vegetable growers have suffered huge losses. The government has tried to keep the supply line intact, but the demand has dropped with restaurants remaining closed. Some mechanism has to be worked out to compensate the farmers.”
This news has not been edited by Apni Kheti staff but has been published by various news feeds
Source: The Tribune
