Floriculturists worst sufferer of prevailing situation
Shortage of labourers to badly impact harvesting
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 29: Notwithstanding the claims of the concerned authorities, farm sector in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is facing heat of the lockdown as the directives issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs have yet not reached down the line in the administration thereby creating immense problems for the farmers in their day-to-day activities.
Moreover, farmers are worried over the forthcoming harvesting season as in view of the restrictions imposed by the Government on the movement of the people they are not in a position to contact and engage required number of labourers for this activity. Worst is the condition of floriculturists as there is no taker of their produce, which otherwise remains in high demand especially during the Navratra festival.
The Ministry of Home Affairs vide its order dated March 27, 2020 exempted Mandis, procurement agencies, farm operations, agriculture machinery hiring centres as well as intra and inter-state movement of farm implements from the lockdown rules to ensure that farmers don’t face problems in the forthcoming harvesting season.
The Government even exempted farm workers as well as manufacturing and packaging units of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds from the lockdown order.
Though Director Agriculture Jammu vide communication dated March 28, 2020 shared the order of Ministry of Home Affairs with the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts of Jammu province yet the directives have not reached down the line in the administration from the offices of the Deputy Commissioners as a result of which farmers are facing immense difficulties in their day-to-day activities.
“We are facing immense problems in shifting vegetables to different locations in the absence of timely and proper transportation facility”, a number of farmers of R S Pura, Marh and other areas of Jammu told EXCELSIOR on telephone, adding “we have to virtually beg before the load carrier operators to take vegetables to the Mandies and most of the times they charge exorbitantly from us”.
The dairy farmers, who are also the victim of lockdown, said “fodder and feed for our animals are not easily available and those dealing with the same are facing immense difficulties in opening their establishments”, adding “it seems that the instructions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs have not reached down the line in the administration otherwise we would have been carrying out activities smoothly”.
“We need special attention of the administration especially when we are meeting the requirement of the people during the lockdown”, they stressed, adding “the administration should ensure that MHA directives reach at the Police Station level so that we don’t face difficulties in taking our produce to the markets”.
Tajinder Singh Wazir, president J&K Kissan Council and former member of J&K Kissan Board said, “the farmers have totally been ignored by the J&K UT administration in the present grim scenario”, adding “the small vegetable growers and daily farm owners are facing hardships to sale their produce mainly because special passes have not been issued to them on the lines of the neighbouring States”.
“No doubt Director Agriculture has shared the MHA directives with the Deputy Commissioners but the entire focus of the latter is on tackling the Coronavirus and difficulties of the farmers are not being taken seriously”, he further said.
Former Minister and senior National Conference leader from Marh Ajay Kumar Sadhotra too admitted that day-to-day problems of the farmers are not being taken care of by the administration. “Right from taking dairy products and vegetables to the markets to the arranging of fodder and feed the farmers are facing so many problems everyday because of the restrictions”, he further said.
“More problems are in offing for the farmers during the forthcoming harvesting season as labourers are not readily available for the same”, he said, adding “generally, the farmers engage three-four labourers for their routine activities in the field but during harvesting they need large number of workforce, which under the prevailing situation is not easily available”.
Since administration has imposed Section 144 everywhere labourers, who are still putting up in different areas, cannot be taken to the fields by the farmers for harvesting of crops.
As per the information available with EXCELSIOR, floriculturists are the worst victims of the lockdown as there is no taker of their produce in view of closure of all the religious places.
When contacted, Director Floriculture Kishore Singh Chib confirmed that thousands of floriculturists have suffered immense losses as there was no demand of flowers during the ongoing Navratras. “After lifting of lockdown I will recommend to the higher authorities to sanction some sort of financial relief to the floriculturists so that they can heave sigh of relief”, he added.
Director Agriculture Inderjeet, when contacted, claimed, “we have already passed on relevant instructions to every quarter so that farmers don’t face any sort of problem”, adding “if still the farmers have some difficulties in carrying out their activities they can bring the same to the notice of the Department of Agriculture officers at the field level”.
As per the reports, farmers in Kashmir valley are too facing immense problems in carrying out their routine activities.
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