Farmers in Burdwan threaten mass suicide

Farmers in Galsi area of West Bengal have threatened mass suicide against crop loss, mounting debts and for not getting a good price for their sold food grains.

On Tuesday, more than hundred farmers gathered outside Galsi-1 BDO office and threatened mass suicide.

Apart from this, the farmers have also threatened a stretched demonstration against continuous cheat-process of the mill owners, forcing them to sell their crops less than the minimum selling price.

Talking to media, S.K. Nijamul Haque, one of the agitating farmers said, “Though the government has instructed all the mill-owners to purchase agricultural products directly from the farmers at the Market Support Price, but in the adjacent areas of Galsi-1 block, with their forcible attitude some of the private rice mill-owners has literally become our nightmare. They don’t even hesitate to put muscle power insisting us to sell crops less than MSP. Not only that, some of the post-dated cheques given to the farmers found bouncing from the bank.

Nirmal Saha, another farmer alleged, “Just a couple of week back I sold some around 25 sacks of rice to a local rice-mill and they immediately gave me a post-dated cheque of Rs. 15,714. But now I find it really hard to cash the amount.” Nirmal Saha is not an exception either. There are many such allegations.

Incidentally, due to huge crop loss, mounting debts in market and for not getting a good enough price for sold food-grains, another farmer from Bankura of Gangajal Ghati block committed suicide on Monday. The body of Gopinath Bauri (40), who allegedly committed suicide, was found lying along with an empty bottle of pesticide just beside his field on Monday afternoon.

As per the statistics, during the first seven months of Mamata Banerjee government there have already been 14 farmers suicide cases reported in media. Among these 11 from Bhatar, Ausgram, Raina, Memari, Khandakosh of Burdwan, 1 from Jalpaiguri district and 2 from Bankura district.

It has not been more than a week ago, when Arup Roy, the Minister of Agricultural Marketing Department confirmed about the Government plan to purchase agricultural products directly from the farmers as per the announced Market Support Price. But till date Bengal seems going through the very tough time under the newly formed government.