Input cost up, Punjab farmers a worried lot

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, April 25

Farmers in Punjab fear a looming crisis in the agrarian economy, considering a sharp rise in prices of all agricultural inputs. From fertiliser to seeds, diesel needed to operate tubewells and tractors to pesticides — the rates of all major inputs have shot up substantially this year.

Farm labourers, too, have threatened to increase their rates for paddy sowing, with the shortfall in fodder production because of low wheat yield and the three-time increase in the price of last year — Rs 900 per quintal.

DAP, seed dearer

• DAP rates have increased by Rs. 150 per 50 kg
• Diesel rates up by Rs. 20 a litre in past one year
• Pesticides prices have shot up Rs. 100-200 a litre
• Paddy seed have also increased by Rs. 20 per kg
• Labour rates expected to go up by Rs. 1K per acre

The prices of diammonium phosphate (DAP) have increased from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,350 per 50 kg. Against a requirement of 2.50 lakh metric tonnes of DAP in the kharif marketing season, the total availability (in the private sector) in Punjab now is 50,000 MT, confirm official sources.

Will be caught in debt trap again

Farmers are already economically stressed as the wheat yield is down by 5 quintal per hectare. While the income has come down, input cost for the next crop is going to be much higher. This will only push farmers to take more debt. —Rajinder Singh Deepsinghwala, Vice-president, Kirti Kisan Union

In Kishangarh village of Mansa, farmer Kulwant Singh says the rate of paddy seed has increased from Rs 35 to Rs 55 per kg. To cultivate an acre by way of transplantation, 5 kg of seed is required; in case of direct seeding, and 8-10 kg. “Some of the commonly used pesticides have been re-branded and the new version is available for Rs 500 a litre as compared to Rs 300 per litre last year. Almost all pesticide prices have increased. Diesel prices, too, have increased by almost Rs 20 per litre in the past one year. While the input cost has gone up substantially, we fear that the MSP would not even increase by Rs 100 per quintal,” he rued.

Ram Singh, another farmer from Matorda village of Patiala, said the biggest problem at hand was the labour needed for paddy transplantation. “They would earlier buy the wheat fodder for their animals from farmers at Rs 250-300 a quintal. This year, the rates of these are Rs 900 a quintal, simply because of demand far exceeding the availability. They have already said the labour rates for transplantation this year would be Rs 4,500-5,000 per acre, as compared to Rs 3,500-4,000 per acre last year. With such a hike in the input cost, many tenant farmers are unwilling to continue cultivation on leased land. The problem is going to be serious in rural economy,” he warned.

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