Malerkotla vegetable growers to join farmers’ protest at Shambhu

Mahesh Sharma

Malerkotla, June 23

Disappointed over Union Government’s decision to exclude vegetables and other cash crops from list of crops eligible for MSP (Minimum Support Price) and announcement of negligible hike in MSP for major crops, office-bearers and activists of Farmers Federation of Malerkotla have announced to join ‘kissan morcha’ from Monday.

Chairman of the federation Mehmood Akhtar Shad will head the first jatha of farmers that will leave the region on Monday morning. He said that over 5,000 vegetable growers and marginal farmers of the region were upset over unconcern of the Union Government and Punjab Government towards their long pending genuine demands.

“Having failed to get our demands met in routine, we have decided to join the farmers’ protest at Shambhu from Monday,” said Shad maintaining that non-inclusion of vegetables and numerous cash crops in the list of crops entitled for MSP was the immediate trigger behind decision to join the protest.

Shad said the federation members were upset that successive governments had failed to redress their long pending issues and their financial position had been deteriorating for the last few decades. Appreciating that farmers had comprehended the necessity of joining the organised struggle to get justice from the governments, Shad claimed that roster for the first week had already been approved according to which a group of 31 members would be reaching Shambhu everyday till their demands are accepted.

Khalil Mohammad, an activist, regretted that growing vegetables at small fields has no longer remained a remunerative and respectable profession allegedly due to unconcern of governments. “What is more awkward is that we have to shuttle between one locality to another to sell our produce which is grown with untiring round the clock labour by ten members of the family in our fields,” said Mohammad, maintaining that four male members sell vegetables by moving from one locality to another on bicycles.

These farmers, who are not members of any constituent of farmers’ bodies, had tried to draw attention of major political parties for making their demands part of their (political parties) manifestoes before recent Lok Sabha election, but none of the major political parties, including those in regime in Centre and the state, bothered to do so.

They have now decided to be part of farmers’ agitation and get their demands included in the main demands of SKM.