JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Tehreek on Sunday demanded minimum support price (MSP) and agricultural loans to small farmers and orchardists of the region.
During its daylong district conference held in Kathua, with Hari Singh as Stage Secretary, the participants expressed concern over various problems being faced by the Kisans across J&K.
The conference demanded the repeal of “anti-farmer Bills” passed by the Parliament and extended solidarity with agitating farmers of the country.
While addressing the conference CPI(M) leader, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said that the core sectors of our economy agriculture and horticulture have totally been neglected by the government, despite J&K being an agricultural state and major chunk of population dependent on this sector.
He said that issue of fair price for their produce by ensuring a minimum support price for all crops has been a long pending demand of kissans. “The government must include Basmati and Kashmir fruit industry in the MSP. This legitimate demand despite repeated promises/assurances has not been conceded till date.”
“Over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir administration’s move to retrieve state and forest land from alleged encroachers,” he said, “it is not only dispossessing villagers from the land they have been farming from decades, thousands of apple trees, too, have been chopped off in the process. Even saplings have not been spared.”
Tarigami further said: “This is unfortunate and must be stopped immediately. The government move is aimed at dispossessing them and attacking their livelihoods. We demand immediate compensation and immediate halt to this alleged eviction.”
He said that under free trade agreement various fruits are imported in the country and demanded 100% custom duty be charged on these imported fruits. “It is an obligation for the government to come to the support and succor of the farmers and Kisans as they form the backbone of the J&K’s economy and have always been suffering on account weather vagaries.”
“The biggest challenge facing the growers and kisans is the menace of pests and diseases and in absence of any foolproof mechanism to curb the sub-standard and spurious pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers the problems of kisans are further aggravated. The callous attitude of authorities has created uncertainty among peasants and orchardists,” Tarigami added.
