BARGARH: On Monday, 52-year-old Kasinath Pradhan drove his tractor through the 1 acre farmland, crushing the cabbage crop he had grown with his blood and sweat. Between selling his harvest for `2 per kg and destroying it, he chose the latter.
For the distraught farmer of Ganjiatikra village under Bargarh district’s Khuntpali gram panchayat, it has been a winter of loss as his produce is selling for peanuts. There is not a cold storage available to prevent the vegetables from perishing either.
For the crop, Kasinath had taken a loan and got good yield too. “When I went out to sell it, I could not get a good price for it. I had to shell out the labour cost from my own pocket. I am at complete loss now,” he said. Every year, traders from nearby states such as Chhattisgarh pick up his produce by paying the right price.
“I have been doing this for quite a few years but I got to know that traders this time are buying from other states where they get better deals,” he said. He tried to sell some of his produce in the local market but was offered prices as low as Rs 2 per kg. “I could not bear the sight of my crops lying unsold and decided to destroy it. I am neck deep in debt and do not know how to repay,” Kasinath sighed.
This is not Kasinath’s story alone. Rutu Pradhan has a similar tale to share. He had grown cabbage over 2 acres but faced the same problem. No one is ready to offer even a penny more than Rs 2 in the local market and there is no cold storage nearby.
“Until last season, as many as 20 to 25 pick-up trucks would queue up to buy our produce. This year, none from the neighbouring states has come. They are getting it in large trucks from Maharashtra. I have no hope that I could sell off my produces,” said Rutu.
He too plans to destroy the crop so that he, like Kasinath, could make the land clear for another seasonal vegetable. Both the farmers blame the government responsible for their plight. Khuntpali has a large number of vegetable growers. Many feel if there was a cold storage located near the village, such a situation would not have occurred.