National
Potato price fall worrying Punjab’s farmers
By Saurabh Katkurwar
Jalandhar, Jan 11 (IANS) Even as a new harvesting season has begun, Punjab’s farmers are staring at bleak prospects with potato prices, that had hit rock-bottom last year, not showing signs of returning to previous levels.
About 10 per cent of the current season’s total harvest has been sold and the prices have stuck somewhere between Rs 150 and Rs 300 per quintal, according to the Punjab Horticulture Department. Farmers are apprehensive about the remuneration this year too, though the production is expected to be higher owing to favourable climatic conditions. About 80 per cent of the harvest in Punjab comes during the peak season of February and March.
Potato prices had slumped to just Rs 10 for a bag of 100 kg (one quintal) last year, leaving farmers in tears — and most of them chose to throw their produce on the roads to rot.
According to the Punjab government, production this year is expected to be over 2.5 million tonnes.
“If the weather is congenial and potato plants are not infected by the blight, overall yield will be good. Currently the rates are not good, I heard,” Gulab Singh Gill, Deputy Director (Horticulture) told IANS.
What concerns the farmers more is uncertainty over remunerative prices for their harvest when it hits the market during the peak season, said Gurinder Singh Kang, a potato grower from Jalandhar’s Lallian Kalan village.
“There is neither much fog nor initiation of blight disease. The climate is quite favorable for optimum output. However, there is an apprehension among farmers and traders whether they will get a fair price as current rates are at below Rs 3 for a kg,” Kang said.
Despite the fall in prices last year, land under potato cultivation has increased this year as farmers used a certain amount of the unsold crop for sowing.
“It is not just the decline in consumption or rise in production that led to the price drop, but several policy-related reasons such as demonetisation, high tax rate for cold storage, lack of export facilities are also responsible,” an official of the Jalandhar Potato Growers Association (JPCA) said.
“It is like multi-organ failure. After demonetisation, traders have become hesitant to procure any agricultural produce in excess. Earlier, we had to pay 14 per cent tax for cold storage but post-GST it has become 28 per cent,” said JPGA Secretary Jagat Gill Thamanwal.
“Also, there are no facilities for exports. Punjab is land-locked and exports to Pakistan are banned via the Wagah border. As the sea route is not cost-effective, our superior potato crop fails in the competition,” Thamanwal added.
Thus, farmers had thrown about 80 per cent of their crop on the roads due to the drastic fall in prices last year.
It is not just the potato growers who have been hurt but the vibrant seed industry has also been significantly impacted, claimed JPCA President Gururaj Nijjar.
“We fulfill almost 33 per cent of the country’s demand and we provide good quality seeds to other states. However, the seeds we produced were not sold this year. We could not even store them in cold storage as the seed’s life is just two months,” Nijjar said.
Potato seeds grown in the Doaba region — the land between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers — are in huge demand across the country for being disease-free and of superior quality.
Nijjar produced 15,000 bags (each 50 kg) of potato seeds in 2016-17 and Gill produced 35,000 bags.
Farmers in the region have sought government assistance, including a minimum support price (MSP), to bring them out of the financial distress.
Including potatoes in the MSP scheme is, however, not possible as it is a cash crop and prices will be decided by the markets, asserted a senior government official, who requested anonymity.
(Saurabh Katkurwar can be contacted at [email protected] )
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.