J&K Kisan Tehreek demands MSP, agricultural loans for small farmers

Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Tehreek Sunday demanded Minimum Support Price (MSP) and agricultural loans to small farmers and orchardists of the region while CPI (M) senior leader Muhasmmad Yusuf Tarigami said that the government had neglected agriculture and horticulture in J&K.

During its day-long district conference held at Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Tehreek participants expressed concern over various problems being faced by the farmers across J&K.

   

Addressing the conference CPI (M) leader Tarigami said that the core sectors of J&K’s economy – agriculture and horticulture – had totally been neglected by the government despite J&K being an agricultural state and major chunk of population being dependent on this sector.

He said the issue of fair price for their produce by ensuring a minimum support price for all crops had been a long-pending demand of the farmers.

“The government must include Basmati and Kashmir fruit industry in the MSP. This legitimate demand despite repeated promises and assurances has not been conceded till date,” Tarigami said.

Over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir administration’s move to retrieve state and forest land from the alleged encroachers, he said it was not only dispossessing villagers from the land they had been farming for decades but had also chopped off thousands of apple trees in the process and not spared even the saplings.

“This is unfortunate and must be stopped immediately.  The government’s move is aimed at dispossessing them and attacking their livelihoods. We demand immediate compensation and halt to this eviction,” Tarigami said.

He said that under the free trade agreement, various fruits were imported in the country and demanded 100 percent custom duty be charged on those imported fruits.

“It is an obligation for the government to come to the support and succor of the farmers as they form the backbone of the J&K’s economy and have always been suffering on account of weather vagaries,” the CPI (M) leader said.

“The biggest challenge facing the growers and farmers is the menace of pests and diseases and in the absence of any fool-proof mechanism to curb the sub-standard and spurious pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers, the problems of farmers are further aggravated. The callous attitude of the authorities has created uncertainty among the peasants and the orchardists,” he said.

President Kisan Tehreek, Jammu, Banarasi Das termed the decision of J&K government to annul the March 2015 announcement of then finance minister of waiving off water tax on agricultural land as “arbitrary” and against the interests of the farmers.

He demanded the immediate revocation of the order.

Das said that the administration had directed the Numberdars to collect water taxes from the farmers from March 2015 onwards failing which they had been warned of action under the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources Regulation and Management Act, 2010.

“It is sheer injustice with the farmers to force them to pay now when they had been given some relief by then government,” he said.

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