Farmers discuss crop-related issues

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 17

A meeting of progressive farmers and allied departments was organised by the Farm Advisory Service Centre and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Nag Kalan-Jahangir, in Amritsar today.

The purpose of the meet was to deliberate on ideas and objectives to form a new association under the title “Amritsar Basmati Farmers Producer Organisation”.

Various issues were raised by progressive farmers, including problems of marketing of agricultural produce in local as well as in remote mandis, during the meeting.

Farmers said they were being exploited due to intervention of middlemen and dominating lobbies during the sale of their produce in mandis.

While taking up the issue of price of bumper crop during the peak season farmers stated they felt exploited as their earnings from basmati, vegetable crops including peas and potatoes, failed to recover their input cost.

Farmers demanded an amicable solution to storage of agriculture produce and its efficient sale in the market. The meeting was a plenary session of farmers, who are going to form a producer organisation for basmati crop in order to safeguard their interests. They also sought professional expertise of agriculture scientists of various departments for betterment of their crops. Problems related to the direct payment system were also discussed.

Dr SS Chhina was elected as group leader to lead the process. Dr SS Verma, joint director, Regional Plant Quarantine Station (RPQS), Raja Sansi, emphasised that farmers should raise a pest free zone against the ring rot disease of potato for export purpose.