MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s Marathwada region is known for its rich cotton and soyabean yield. This year, things are different. Excess rain led to a drastic fall in the output and the prices.
“This season I expected around 10 quintal of the crop in my five-acre land, which could have fetched me a price of at least `6,000 per quintal,” says Ramesh Shinde, a farmer in Beed, known for its tranquil rivers and lush landscapes.
The soya yield went down from 8 quintal per acre last year to 4 quintal per acre this year. The market price crashed from Rs 6,000 per quintal to Rs 3,500 — below the government support price of Rs 4,800 per quintal. “The government should tell me how to live with this income,” said Shinde.
Meet Dhiraj Patil, a cotton farmer from Pachora. He harvested cotton on his 10-acre irrigated land. He sold 50 quintals of cotton at Rs 6,500 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 7,200 per quintal. “I have told my kids to study hard and not engage in agriculture anymore,” Patil said.
He said initially the BT cotton output was very high, around 10-15 quintal. The production has been down to 4-6 quintals. On the other hand, input costs have gone up many folds. “The fall in cotton prices is like rubbing salt over our wounds. Three years ago, we sold cotton at `10,000 per quintal and now, it is only `6,000. Political parties offer tall promises, but no one fulfills the demands,” says Patil.
Shinde and Patil are among thousands of farmers in over 100 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra, where the total land under soyabean is 50.85 lakh hectares, the highest among all crops, followed by 40.77 lakh per hectare of cotton. The total production of soyabean is 66.7 lakh metric tonne this year. The state government on the instruction of the Centre started the government soyabean procurement centres. So far, they have bought only 13% of the total production. Many other farmers were forced to sell their produce at a rate lower than the MSP in private markets.
Vijay Jawandia, a farmer leader, blames government policies for the fall in soyabean and cotton prices. He says in India, there is no GM soyabean, so production is not high as compared to other countries. Therefore, it is a double whammy for farmers.
The falling soya and cotton prices have hit the ruling MahaYuti government. Many of its leaders were forced to cancel their campaign rallies where farmers asked them difficult questions.
PM Narendra Modi tried to pacify the anger of the soyabean farmers and announced Rs 6,000 per quintal for the crop. There is no mechanism to buy the crop at this rate. Most farmers have already sold their yield at low rate due to poverty and rising debts.
Farmers’ ire: Leaders forced to cancel rallies
The falling soya and cotton prices have hit the ruling MahaYuti government. Many of its leaders were forced to cancel their campaign rallies where farmers asked them difficult questions. “There are a total of 100 constituencies out of the total 288 that are going to be impacted due price crash,” said a political observer.