Novel protest by farmers against ban on export

Independent and maverick MLA from Achalpur in Amravati district, Bacchu Kadu has once again come up with a novel idea of protest. This time he will be leading around 5000 farmers, who will drive their bullock carts loaded with agriculture produce and try to register for exports of the commodities to Dubai.

If he has his way, Kadu will be leading these farmers to Nagpur airport on January 10 with commodities like cotton, soyabean, tur, onions loaded in bullock carts and attempt to violate the ban imposed by the government on exports of these items. The farmers procession commenced from Chandur Bazar and reached Karanja on Wednesday, Kadu said. "The basic idea is to launch a strong protest against the Union government's anti-farmer policy of restricting exports from India in order to keep domestic prices under check. The policy does not serve farmers' interests and denies them a rare opportunity to earn better income when international prices are at a high," said Kadu, who heads a socio-political organisation Prahar.

Supporting him, Shetkari Sanghatana leader Vijay Jawandhiya and farm activist Chandrakant Wankhede also questioned government's double standards. "When prices of agriculture products go up because of more demand, the state intervenes. But when farmers suffer huge losses as supply is more and prices are unremunerative, the government seldom steps in," Wankhede said.

"Similarly the government has different yardsticks. It goes out of the way when it comes to protecting interests of sugar factories. It allows free exports and clamps heavy duty on imports so that sugar prices do not slide. But same yardstick is not applied to other agriculture produce like cotton. To guard interests of textile sector, cotton exports is restricted. Why has a quota of 55 lakh bales fixed when last year 90 lakh bales were exported," Jawandhiya asked.

"After 15 years, international prices have ruled high. The New York exchange is quoting $1.70 which is equivalent to Rs 6000 a quintal. But due to restrictions on exports, cotton domestically is ruling around Rs 4500. The government should have hiked the minimum support price of cotton at Rs 4500 this year. But it has failed to revise the price that stands unchanged at Rs 3000 for last three years. No political party is willing to take up farmers cause and it is welcome move by Kadu as a politician to fight for farmers," said Jawandhiya.