A CORRESPONDENT
TANGLA: Watermelon Agriculture: The farmers of Udalguri district are facing a lot of problems in selling their seasonal produce of watermelon without having any designated channel due to the curfew and restrictions in inter-district movement declared by the State Government in an effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Mazbat legislator Charan Boro has urged Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora to compensate the distressed watermelon cultivators who have incurred huge loss this year owing to the partial lockdown and restrictions in inter-district transport and movement of people. In his letter, MLA Boro pointed out that 7,600 educated youths of Udalguri district have cultivated watermelon in over 3,600 hectares of land producing nearly 76,000 metric tons of watermelon out of which nearly 35,500 metric tons of produce are lying in fields awaiting buyers amid the dip in price of watermelon from Rs.8 to Rs.2.50 per kg. He also requested the government to make special arrangements for the sale of the produce and compensate them to come out of the loss.
"Cultivators are facing difficulties to sell their produce amid the partial lockdown and are also facing severe financial losses. While a section has managed to sell to some middlemen at very low rates, many are yet to sell their produce," said award-winning cultivator, Abhinash Daimari of Udalguri who is also the president of Udalguri Farmers Co-operative Society.
Echoing the plight of the cultivators, he said, "Who will listen to our woes? The media has highlighted our plight but the government has turned a deaf ear to the same."
"I had grown watermelon in 4.5 bighas of land and the production was nearly 17 tons but owing to the pandemic situation and curfew, I sold them to middlemen at Rs.4 per kg. But many of our fellow cultivators are facing difficulties in selling their produce," said Sundar Boro of Udalguri.
"The entire farming community is looking up to the government for help," added Boro.