ROURKELA: Nuagaon block in Sundargarh has always been on the forefront of vegetable production. But official apathy, absence of cold storage facility and market linkage have forced farmers to shy away from the greens.
The plight of farmers from the block came to the fore three days back when several of them gave away tomatoes for free at the Birmitrapur weekly market after failing to get a decent price and buyers for their produce.
In 2013-14, a mini-cold storage of 30 metric tonne capacity, four pack houses for grading, sorting and packaging of vegetables and a special refrigeration van were given by Panposh ITDA to the farmers. However, all these facilities along with a mini-cold storage of 15 MT each are lying unutilised in Nuagaon and Bisra blocks.
Natho Samad of Sorda village in Nuagaon said, the block has fertile land and conducive environment for the cultivation of vegetables and other horticulture crops. Despite a bumper harvest, the farmers fail to get a decent price for their produce since vegetables are perishable and they incur losses due to absence of cold storages in the block.
Another farmer, Suresh Oram said local traders and middlemen usually lift bulk of the crops from the farms at throwaway prices and earn handsome profits by selling them at nearby Rourkela market or outside the district.
“Farmers lacking direct marketing link or suitable storage facility have no choice. A few small farmers transport their crops to Rourkela and other places but often face losses amid problem of plenty as there is no storage facility to preserve their crops future sale,” he said.
Nuagon farmers are not the only one suffering. Similar is the plight of farmers of Bisra, Kuanrmunda, Lathikata, Lahunipada, Bargaon, Tangarpali and other blocks of the district.