E-Paper
Talks with Himachal CM inconclusive, farmers’ unions to go ahead with August 5 protest
A day after the Himachal Pradesh CM met agitating fruit growers, farmers’ unions decided to go ahead with their planned protest on August 5, dismissing the assurances given to them as an eyewash
A day after the Himachal Pradesh chief minister met agitating fruit growers, farmers’ unions on Friday decided to go ahead with their planned protest outside the Secretariat on August 5, dismissing the assurances given to them as “mere eyewash.”
Sixty representatives of the Sanuykt Kisan Morcha – an umbrella body of 27 farmers’ unions – had met the Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday and put forth their demands. Horticulture minister Mahender Singh Thakur, urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj, education minister Govind Singh Thakur, Chopal MLA Balbir Verma, Theog MLA Rakesh Singha and former Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan, horticulture secretary Amitabh Avasthi, chief secretary RD Dhiman, additional chief secretary Prabodh Saxena and other senior officials were also in attendance.
The farmers submitted a 20-point charter to the CM. Holding that the demands were justified the government decided to constitute a committee under the chairpersonship of the chief secretary to look into the farmers’ grievances. The committee members will include additional chief secretary (finance), principal secretary (excise and taxation), secretaries (agriculture and horticulture) and representatives of farmers’ associations.
Growers’ grievances
Himachal Pradesh fruit growers’ association president Harish Chauhan urged the chief minister to sympathetically consider different issues pertaining to the welfare of the horticulturists. The fruit growers are demanding subsidy on fungicides and pesticides, reduction of GST on the packaging material used for fruits (particularly trays and cardboard cartons), fixed minimum support price for apples analogous to Kashmir where growers get ₹64 for A- grade apples, ₹44 for B-grade and ₹24 for C-grade apples. In Himachal, the government pays ₹10.5 for all grades of apples.
The union representatives also urged the government to increase the import duty on apples to 100%, strictly implement the Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 2005, and clear the pending dues of farmers.
They also requested the CM to waive off farmers’ loans, constitute an expert committee to fix the price of apples in CA (controlled atmosphere) stores of private companies and reserve 25% space in these stores for apples.
Committee a tactic to sidetrack farmers: Former mayor
Soon after the meeting, representatives of all farmers’ unions convened and decided that the governments’ move to constitute a committee was just an eyewash. “ The governments’ assurances are mere tactics to sidetrack the farmers’ demands,” said Sanjay Chauhan, who is also the co-convener of the farmers’ forum.
SKM convener Harish Chauhan urged all farmers and fruit growers to enthusiastically participate at the protest being organised to “save agriculture and growers’ livelihoods.”
On the cabinet providing 6% subsidy on packaging material, Harish Chauhan said, “The subsidy should be available to all fruit growers, not just those who purchase cartons and trays from HPMC and HIMFED.”
