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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Punjab farmers give thumbs down to Budget provisions -Manraj Grewal Sharma

Punjab farmers give thumbs down to Budget provisions -Manraj Grewal Sharma

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published Published on Feb 4, 2017   modified Modified on Feb 4, 2017
-Hindustan Times

Nawanshahr: “The budget is far removed from reality.” That is how young Meet Pal Singh, an MBA who has set up a polyhouse in Mahalon village of Nawanshahr, dismisses the budget. The tall light-eyed youth, who is feted as a progressive farmer in the area, says the Modi government should first focus on implementing the MS Swaminathan report for farmers before coming up with a new set of proposals.

Dr PS Rangi, economic consultant to Punjab State Farmers’ Commission, ridiculed the budgetary promise to double the agricultural income in five years. “We are already overdrawing our soil, how do they plan to squeeze it further? It’s not possible. And as for increasing the loans, NABARD is already giving sufficient loans.”

What surprises farmers is the government’s inability to fix their main problem: Assured marketing of crops other than wheat and paddy. Amardeep Singh, a small farmer at Malpur Arkan village in SBS Nagar district, says he is tired of growing rice, for it forces him to dig deeper for water every year. “I grew potatoes this year, but they fetched me a mere Rs.5 per kilo, which doesn’t even cover the cost of production, even though they sell for Rs 20 a kilo in the retail market.”

Meet Pal says he started growing gerbera, but had to stop after two years to cut his losses as he was getting a petty Rs 1 per stick, while the florist at Amritsar, two hours away, was selling it for Rs 75. “It is this gap that the government must focus on bridging if it wants the farmers to diversify for more gains.”

Dr Rangi also dismisses the government’s proposal of e-marketing, saying the Punjab Marketing Reforms Act 2003 is yet to be implemented. “Around 80% to 85% of the farmers in India have a landholding of 2 hectares or less. They are not literate enough to benefit from an e-portal. Why don’t they make policies that can be implemented on the ground? ”

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Hindustan Times, 2 February, 2017, http://www.hindustantimes.com/union-budget/punjab-farmers-give-thumbs-down-to-budget-provisions/story-9nwlT1o2CtOuizmSQHz0RK.html


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