December 15, 2022
Aparupa Poddar’s Zero Hour mention on the drastic conditions being faced by farmers of Bengal due to 20% customs duty on gobindobhog rice and the less-than-adequate supply of fertilizers by the Union government
Thank you Sir for allowing me to speak in Zero Hour. In my Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency’s Arambagh block, there is Tirol village panchayat; it is the area adjoining Bardhaman. The farmers in that area mostly grow two types of paddy, ‘Atop’ and ‘Gobindobhog’. Since the price of fertilizers has increased, the farmers are not getting the right price of paddy. The Central Government has raised the price of fertiliser inexorbitantly and there is absolutely no control or regulation Along with that there is potato cultivation for which the state government had asked for 2.5 lakh tonne fertilizer, but the Union government has only released 70,000 tonnes of feriliser, which is not adequate. The farmers are facing lots of hardships due to that. Moreover, 20% export duty has been imposed on the ‘Atop’ and ‘Gobindobhog’ rice as a result of which paddy farmers are in deep crisis. These varieties of rice are grown to the tune of 6000-7000 tonnes every month but because of the 20% export duty imposed, the farmers are not being able to export the rice. The markets are being filled with rice from other areas and the local farmers are unable to sell their produce. Thus, through you Sir, I urge upon the Government of India and the Minister of Agriculture to ensure that the farmers of West Bengal are not deprived. I request you to look into and resolve the matter urgently, otherwise the paddy cultivators of my area will continue to be in distress. Thank you.
