Lockdown, labour blues ail vegetable farmers in Punjab

Farmers say lack of government aid, stringent guidelines, erratic power supply and delay in lifting of the produce from mandis have compounded the problem

Vegetable farmers in Punjab, especially those growing cucumber, cabbage, bell peppers, mushrooms and strawberries, are grappling with lockdown blues. With marriage palaces, restaurants, dhabas and supermarkets closed, these farmers, flag-bearers of crop diversification in the state, are struggling to make ends meet.

With marriage palaces, restaurants, dhabas and supermarkets closed, vegetable farmers are worried as their produce is perishing. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Besides, farmers say lack of government aid, stringent guidelines, shortage of labour, erratic power supply and delay in lifting of the produce from mandis have compounded the problem.

According to polyhouse farmer Davinder Singh Mushkabad in Machhiwara town of Ludhiana, the lockdown has completely ruined the sector. “I have been farming for nearly 30 years, but have never witnessed such a massive loss. While the vegetable crop is ready, we do not have labourers to harvest it. If we manage to harvest with each other’s help, the supply chain also has problems. These products were meant for niche markets. With marriage palaces, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls closed, our produce is perishing,” said Davinder.

Pointing out discrepancies in the new system of lifting the vegetables, Davinder said, “Only a select few people purchase the vegetables from the arhtiyas and these are further sold to the vendors, some of whom are auto drivers or daily wagers with no previous experience of the trade.”

He added that the farmers were not getting the price of the seed let alone the labour and transportation cost of vegetables.

“Moreover, the power supply is available between 10pm and 2pm. After returning from the market, we hardly get time to rest and run straight to the field to water our crop,” said Davinder.

MOUNTING LOSSES

Mohd Gafoor, who cultivates vegetables is carrying out vegetable farming in 63 acres of land in Patiala district, said that he has suffered a loss of nearly ₹30 lakh as the mushrooms, cucumber, baby corns and pumpkins which used to sell like hot cakes were perishing in his field due labour shortage.

“Like flowers, these vegetables used to remain in huge demand during the wedding season. However, due to the lockdown, weddings have been put off. There is a set time for the vegetables to ripen and market window is also limited. Further we do not have mechanisms for proper refrigeration and storage of the crops. We are helplessly watching our produce rot and are trying to sell them in villages nearby,” said Gafoor.

Jaskaran Singh, a strawberry grower in Muktsar, who had grown the crops in four acres of land, said, “I sold strawberries in the mandis of Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Faridkot and Barnala till the second week of March. With the lockdown extended, the fruit could not be transported. I had to distribute nearly eight quintals of strawberries among the people living in villages nearby with the help of a local politician, store two quintals in refrigerator and watch the remaining rot in the field,” said Jaskaran.

MATTER OF CONCERN

Shailender Kaur, director horticulture, Punjab, is concerned about these farmers. “While marriage places, hotels and dhabas, a huge market for vegetables, are closed, the domestic buyers are finding these items pricy. However, we are doing our best to balance the loss. We also hope that with the opening of restaurants and dhabas on the highway, the demand of cucumber will pick up again,” said Kaur.