Sangrur: Flood-affected farmers compelled to buy paddy saplings at inflated prices

Parvesh Sharma

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Sangrur, July 30

As if the severe financial losses caused by floods in 30 villages of the Moonak area here were not enough, the flood-affected farmers are compelled to purchase paddy saplings at high rates from various parts of Punjab and Haryana.

At many places, paddy saplings has rotten during transportation, causing further losses to the farmers. Affected farmers told The Tribune that they were purchasing paddy saplings at a cost of around Rs 3,000-3,500 per acre from Jind, Fatehabad and other districts of Punjab and Haryana.

The farmers also have to pay around Rs 1,000 to labourers for plucking paddy saplings, Rs 3,000 for transportation and Rs 4,000 per acre for transplantation. Diesel expense (around Rs 500 per acre) to run tractor for preparing fields for re-transplantation of paddy are additional.

“At present, the re-transplantation of paddy is costing around Rs 11,500 per acre to the farmers. The tall claims of the state government to provide free paddy saplings are only on papers. If we do not re-sow paddy before August 10, it will not grow and we will suffer more losses,” said BKU (Ugrahan) leader Rinku Moonak. He has also bought paddy saplings from Jind in Haryana. Around 44,000 acres are under flood water in the affected villages. Farmers will have to re-sow paddy on around 33,000 acres.

“Some days ago, the government authorities and social workers had been talking about providing us free paddy saplings. Where is that nursery?” said Gurmail Singh, another farmer of the area.

Sangrur Chief Agriculture Officer Harbans Singh said they had sown paddy saplings on 180 acres at various places in the district for flood-affected farmers.

“We will start distributing paddy saplings in the first week of August. The flood-affected farmers can re-sow it till August 15. If they re-sow paddy till August 15, their per acre production will not be affected. We have made all arrangements,” he added.