MP: Ex-CM Nath, Farmers’ Body Write to Shivraj, Demand Relief During Lockdown

Bhopal: A lockdown due to fears surrounding the coronavirus, and reports of hail storms in various parts of Madhya Pradesh, are causes of concern for farmers.  

Amid the lockdown, which has resulted in a lack of man-power, farmers are failing to harvest crops. Those who have are facing storage and transportation issues and are unable to send them to buyers. All this will inevitable lead to shortage.   

According to sources, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a meeting with officials from the Agriculture Department, asked officials to exempt vehicles carrying vegetables, fruits and crops from lockdown. 

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha dashed off letters to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, demanding special attention from the government.

Nath appealed to Chouhan to extend monthly relief of at least Rs 7,500 to each farmer for the next two months, in view of the imposed lockdown to contain the COVID-19 threat.

Mentioning that the Rabi harvest and sale had already begun, Nath wrote: “Several crops like wheat, peas, coriander, mustard and gram etc are ready to be harvested. But, due to the lockdown harvesting is not possible and there is a chance of crop damage.”

Neither vegetables nor fruits are being transported from villages to their destinations for sale, and farmers face huge losses, he wrote, adding that the state government must initiate steps for storage, transportation and sale of farm produce. Nath also demanded an interim relief for farmers for the next two months, so that they could make up for their losses to some degree.

In another letter from today, March 27, Nath targeted Chouhan for making no announcements for daily-wage labourers, small shopkeepers, mechanics and smaller vendors. Nath said that while citizens in other countries have received relief from their governments, the current Madhya Pradesh government had not provided “real relief” for members of marginalised communities. “It's the duty of the state to provide proper care to the needy in such a difficult times,” he said. 

Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha Joint Secretary Badal Saroj said that the ‘Corona pandemic lockdown’ has choked the life out of marginalised sections of the society, including farmers.

In his letter, he urged CM Chouhan to ensure proper harvesting of ready crops, and its storage, while also enabling proper transportation. Else he wrote, the crops will be damaged and it will lead to a shortage of vegetables, fruits and grains.

“To give relief to farmers, it is important that the State government makes arrangements for the harvest, plucking, storage, transport and sale of vegetables, crops and fruits,” Saroj said.

Recent hailstorms in the various parts of the state have ruined ready-to-harvest crops. “Government should ensure proper compensation to such farmers,” Saroj said, adding that the state government has announced a slew of schemes for poor and the elderly, but that improper implementation would result in thousands of people would die due to hunger.