The Hill Farmers’ Union (HFU) met Governor Satya Pal Malik today to seek his intervention into the plight of farmers, which has reached dire straits due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the HFU stated that the pandemic has created havoc for the farming community, which has seen transportation obstacles thrown up as part of the battle against the coronavirus.
“Farmers have had to bear huge losses during the period of lockdown, leading to immense financial hardship and, in many cases, children of farmers have had to drop out of school,” the HFU said.
The union said that there is an urgent need to provide financial relief to Meghalaya’s farmers, particularly the landless and tenant farmers who are not beneficiaries of the Prime Minister Kisan Yojana. The union begged Malik to push the Centre to include these categories in the scheme.
The HFU also highlighted a practice whereby traders in Khasi-Jaintia Hills who buy produce from farmers arbitrarily withhold payment for 10 percent of the produce. It said that this practice severely impacts the income of farmers, who are not able to do anything about it as there exists tacit collusion among all traders.
Urging the Governor to take up this matter, the HFU demanded that the state government, the district administration, autonomous district councils and the traditional authorities make concerted efforts and take strict penal action actions as per existing laws and strengthening of regulated markets to eradicate this “malpractice”.
The HFU also urged the Governor for implementation of the Market Interventions Scheme (MIS). “It is our demand that the MIS be implemented regularly in the state and that the government of Meghalaya declare that major crops be brought under MIS,” the union stated.
The union also urged for opening of more border haats along the international border with Bangladesh.
