Lip service of no help to farmers: Society
Source: Chronicle News Service
Bishnupur, June 24 2022:
Moirang Kendra Farmers' Development Co-operative Society Ltd has stated that successive governments have been announcing that there will be no shortage of fertilizer, but it will be better to put in place necessary works on the ground first and then make the announcements.
In a release, the Society said recent statements of the state government that there are some issues due to poor road connectivity has raised apprehension amongst farmers that they will not get fertiliser on time.
This year, Moirang area received plenty of rainfall early in the season.
Subsequently, farmers have start ed sowing paddy saplings very early.
Hence, they are now in need of fertiliser for timely application in their fields to get abundant yield, it added, while appealing to chief minister N Biren, agriculture minister Th Biswajit and Moirang MLA Th Shanti to provide the required fertiliser at the earliest.
The release also mentioned that they have repeatedly drawn attention towards the non functioning of Low and High Canals of Loktak Lift Irrigation project through the media.
Even after visit of the minister concerned, no concrete steps have taken up in this regard so far, it said.
While pointing out there is acute shortage of irrigation as soon as rainfall stops apart and claiming that due to construction of the High Canal, the water that used to naturally flow from nearby hill ranges is not reaching the downstream area, the Society maintained that even if the Low Canal starts functioning, it will not reach the fields as no measures have been taken up for that.
Irrigation canals constructed for supplying water from the Low Canal have been clogged owing to cessation of water flow for years now, it pointed out.
The Society also conveyed that after request for maintenance of such irrigation canals to authority concerned, the chief engineer concerned had assured that the canals will be dredged and culverts constructed, but till now nothing has happened.
In such a scenario, if the crop yield suffers due to unavailability of water and fertiliser, the farmers of the area are ready to launch ag itation against the government.
Hence, the government must ensure that the farming needs of the formers are made available to them as soon as possible, it further cautioned.