Farmers resolve
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 11 2024: A public meeting of farmers has resolved to constitute a coordination committee under the farmer's wing of COCOMI to resume agricultural works at villages affected by the violence in Manipur which is entering the 14th month.

The resolution was taken during a public meeting organised by COCOMI, farmer's wing at the Loktak Hall of Manipur Press Club, today under the theme "Monsoon Cultivation in Affected Areas of Present Crisis" .

It has also been agreed that the coordination committee will work in association with State and District Level Monitoring Committees formed to oversee farming activities amid the unrest.

Among the many resolutions taken, the public meeting also adopted a resolution to urge the department concerned to provide necessary materials to start farming such as machinery, seeds and fertilizers etc to the farmers.

At paddy lands where growing crops is difficult, the State Government has to take up extra measures, said another resolution.

At the public meeting, the gathering also agreed to submit a memorandum which highlights their resolutions to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Agriculture Minister Th Biswajit, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh and all departments concerned.

The meeting was presided by COCOMI coordinator Somorendro Thokchom, All Manipur Bar Association president Puyam Tomcha and COCOMI farmer's wing convenor K Thoiba Meetei as presidium members.

Representatives of different civil society organisations and several farmers also attended the meeting.

At the meeting, K Thoiba Meetei said that agriculture practices were stopped on a large tract of paddy lands measuring about 10,000 pari (a local unit of measuring land) in the last over 13 months due to the unrest in Manipur.

"From what I heard, the State Government, unfortunately, counted the size of paddy lands affected to be only 5127 pari while giving compensation," he added.

Saying that many farmers didn't cultivate crops due to the onslaught by armed Kuki miscreants at periphery and foothill areas, Thoiba Meetei continued that security forces also stopped the farmers from going to fields.

He also said that the State and District Level Monitoring Committees were constituted by the Government to let the farmers grow crops but not much is heard of the committees helping the farmers.

A meeting of the Monitoring Committees presided by an IGP and attended by different DCs and SPs was held on May 4 but things remain to be seen what they will do, he added.

Comment