BJP seeks MSP for potato

Our Correspondent

Una, April 24

The Una unit of the BJP today reiterated its demand for a minimum support price for potato to farmers. BJP district president Balbir Bagga and member of the state BJP executive committee Ram Kumar in their address to mediapersons said the potato cultivators of Una district were facing financial hardship as the crop was not fetching adequate money to even meet the expenditure incurred on cultivating the crop.

Ram Kumar said on April 11, the BJP had submitted a memorandum to the state government on the issue, but there has been no response from the government till date. He said a 40 kg bag of potato was not fetching even Rs 200 for the farmer.

The member of the state BJP executive committee charged that neither the party in power nor the bureaucrats were serious regarding the problems being faced by the farmers.

Instead, he claimed that the district administration was busy in preparations for the Haroli festival to please the political mentors.

He said the BJP would support the farmers of the district in organising protests on the issue on April 28 during Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s Haroli visit to inaugurate the festival.

He said festivals had little importance for the locals whose agriculture produce was rotting for the want of proper market value. Looking after the family affairs were more important than attending fairs.