Ensured MSP on all crops only way forward to end stalemate: AAP
By Amrit Pal Sidhu Brar
Chandigarh, November 21
Aam Aadmi Party Kotkapura MLA and State Kisan Wing President Kultar Singh today wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, seeking an immediate solution to the problem being currently faced by the farmers in the state. He has urged the chief minister to take steps to ensure hassle-free supply of urea to the farmers so as to enable them to take up sowing of wheat operations on time.
In his letter, Sandhwan has stated that the farmers of Punjab who were fighting a grim battle for survival and sustenance in view of the new agricultural laws enacted by the NDA government at the Centre, were facing an acute shortage of urea due to the suspension of freight trains in Punjab by the Central government, leading to delay in the sowing of wheat.
Sandhwan said that he had personally visited a number of villages in the state and found how farmers were facing hardships in getting adequate urea supply, adding that they were being subjected to wait for days to get the fertilizer, while at times they had to return empty-handed.
The Kotkapura legislator said that at present the farmers of Punjab required about 8 to 9 lakh tonnes of urea, to enable them to take up sowing operations on time. He added that since the supply of urea had been stopped due to the suspension of freight movement by the Union Government, the supply of urea had gone down to by 35 per cent approximately. He said that if the crop was not sown on time due to non-availability of urea, the yield would also be badly affected, which would hit the rural economy hard, the letter further said.
According to a random estimate, the acute shortage of urea could bring down the wheat yields by up to 20 per cent, which would further add to the farmers’ woes, who had incurred huge losses amid prolonged Covid-induced lockdowns, besides the present crisis arising out of the three controversial laws, urging the chief minister to pitch in and hold the hand of the aggrieved ‘annadatta’.
The Kisan leader lamented that even the farmers’ struggle had been more than two months now, neither the Central nor state government had given assurance to the beleaguered community to take a call on their issues and concerns, the letter pointed out. It further pointed out that since the Union Government had run away from guaranteeing MSP to the farmers, the Chief Minister should come to the rescue of the farmers and ensure MSP on all crops, which was the only way forward to resolve the deadlock.
He also urged the chief minister to hold talks with the Central Government to resolve the problem of shortage of urea in the state at the earliest, enabling the worried farmers to take up their sowing activity.