Chhatrapur: In spite of government initiatives, prices of all essential commodities including vegetables have sky-rocketed. The vendors are citing lack of supplies for the escalation of prices. However, brinjal and tomato farmers of Kantapada area under Ganjam block have a different tale to tell. They don’t have any takers for their produce. So they are allowing the vegetable to rot and go to waste.
There are no takers of brinjals or tomatoes from the farmers due to the lockdown. Retailers are apprehensive about transportation of vegetables. So they are not buying any. The lockdown has been implemented in Odisha to prevent the spread of the pandemic coronavirus. With it transport facilities have severely been affected.
Jhadia Pradhan and Mohan Pradhan, two farmers of Kantapada village, said that most of them have taken loans to do farming of brinjals and tomatoes. “We were hopeful of recovery of the loan amount as this year the crops were good. However, then coronavirus and its spiraling effect affected us badly,” the two said.
“We are aware consumers are buying vegetables paying more than the normal price. But we can’t do anything. We are not being able sell our produce to retailers. Also we cannot send brinjals and tomatoes to local markets as transportation is not available during lockdown. So the crops are going to waste,” Jadhia and Mohan added.
“There is no possibility of getting back the money invested for harvesting the crops,” said Kuna Das, a farmer from Pulingi village.
Farmers in Rukuni, Baulagaon, Mahanadapur, Badamadhapur, Barang, Singipur, Potalampur, Hansapur and Podapadar villages have the same plight to share. They had produced a fairly good harvest of green chillies. However, they also do not have any takers for their produce.
‘Rishikulya Rayat Mahasabha’, secretary, Simanchal Nahak urged the district administration to take steps to solve the farmers’ problems.
PNN