Not getting adequate power, water supply, lament horticulturists

Manmeet Singh Gill

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 7

Even as the state government has announced a financial assistance of Rs 19,000 per hectare to those adopting horticulture, farmers stated that these were half-hearted measures as even the power supply schedule is prioritised as per the needs of paddy cultivators.

“It is during the paddy season that the government gives assured power supply of eight hours. Even the canal water is released as per the paddy transplant schedule. On the other hand, the orchards need maximum irrigation during April and May when the trees are in the flowering stage,” said Joginder Singh, a local horticulturist.

Singh added that the government policy regarding supply of canal water and electricity to tubewells should also consider the needs of farmers who sow crops other than wheat and paddy. The vegetable cultivators too rued that they had to burn costly diesel in generators to run their tubewells.

Lakhbir Singh Nizampura of the Vegetable Growers Association said, “Farmers can cultivate orchards even without this small financial incentive, provided there are marketing facilities.” He said the huge difference in the prices at which farmers sell their vegetables and at which consumers purchase it, indicates that the market system needs to be streamlined.

Singh added that lack of cold storage facilities puts farmers at the mercy of traders as vegetables and fruits are perishable goods.

Some farmers stated that Rs 19,000 per hectare financial assistance is too less to promote crop diversification. “All a farmer would get is Rs 7,600 per acre. Considering the cost of fruit saplings alone, this amount is too meagre,” said another farmer.

While the government efforts are aimed at diversification of area under paddy, the farmers feel that lack of marketing avenues for fruits coupled with lack of storage houses and difficulties in transportation are bottlenecks in the way of earning profits from orchards.