Farmers from Uttar Pradesh’s potato belt have been protesting under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) in different parts of the western region for the past few days. They demand the undoing of an ‘unfair rate hike’ by cold storage owners. Agra potato farmers have alleged that cold storage owners are harassing them by increasing rates by up to Rs 60 per 100 kgs. According to the unions, potato cultivators are losing between Rs 17,000 and Rs 19,000 per hectare even after selling their produce.
Farmer leader Geetendra Singh Yadav, who led one of the protests, said that the government had fixed the storage rates of plain potatoes at Rs 230 per 100 kgs and sugar-free potatoes at Rs 260 per 100 kgs for 2023-24.
“However, Kannauj cold storage owners charge arbitrarily. The rise in the cost of agriculture inputs, unavailability of fertilisers, erratic rainfall, low mandi rates and arbitrary rate of cold storage owners are a few challenges every farmer faces in any normal agriculture season,” he stated.
[ Rs 100 = €1.10 ]
Source: newsclick.in