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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | On budget eve, farmers hang effigies of Mukherjee, Pawar by TO Abraham

On budget eve, farmers hang effigies of Mukherjee, Pawar by TO Abraham

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published Published on Feb 27, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 27, 2011

On the eve of the Union Budget on Sunday, thousands of farmers and hundreds of farm widows staged a strong protest at Pandharkawda in Yavatmal district by hanging effigies of union finance minister of finance Pranab Mukherjee and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. The protesters wanted to draw attention of the government towards its 'anti-cotton farmer policies.' They demanded lifting of ban on cotton export, a bailout package for dying cotton farmers and rehabilitation of 10,000 farm widows.

"Free trade and Bt cotton seed have killed more 2,00,000 farmers in India in the last decade. This is a classic example of genocide. We have hanged the effigies of the culprits," Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti said.

Since June 2005, the cotton belt has been reporting farm suicides on a daily basis and these suicides are being triggered due to imposition of quantitative restriction of export on cotton and paddy. Cotton farmers were forced to sell cotton at Rs 4000 per quintal whereas paddy growers are forced sell at Rs 850 per quintal which is less than the MSP of Rs 1050 as there is no procurement from the state owned agency," Tiwari further said.

"Excessive rain followed by cloudy weather has ruined cotton and paddy crops of the region. On 110 lakh hectare area under cultivation of cotton crop, the yield has been dropped in the state itself from 375 lakh bales to 275 lakh bales. Cotton growers are in deep trouble but the State has not been able sense the seriousness of the crisis," Tiwari alleged.

"Why put a restriction on cotton export when there is demand in global market and the benefits of good price can be passed on to cotton farmers," Tiwari asked, and said that the government is influenced by a strong textile mill owners' lobby.

VJAS has demanded lifting of the ban suggested by the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) to retain the cap of 55 lakh bales of natural fibre shipments for the current cotton season.

In fact, the Maharashtra State Co-Operative Cotton Growers Federation chairman Dr NP Hirani has strongly recommended lifting of 55 lakh bale ban and increase it to 85 lakh bales on the strength of the promising crop of the year.

The Times of India, 28 February, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/On-budget-eve-farmers-hang-effigies-of-Mukherjee-Pawar/articleshow/7590122.cms


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