SHIMLA: Thousands of farmers under the banner of Syunkat Kisan Manch (SKM) of 29 farmers’ organisations from across the state started their "Akrosh Rally" march from Nav Bahar Chowk near Sanjauli to Himachal Pradesh Secretariate at Chota Shimla on Friday to push up their charter of 20-point demands with the Jai Ram Thakur state government.
The large number of apple and vegetable farmers including women gathered at Nav Bahar here for the protest march, flagging their 20-point charter of demands to the state government for immediate action.
The farmers have come here from all over the apple belt of Rohru, Nawar, Jubbal-Kotkahai, Theog, Chopal, Rampur, Kinnaur, Anni, Kullu, Seraj, Karsog, Churag and other places to join SKM's protest rally in support of the 20 point charter of demands, which has been already submitted to the state government earlier.
Congress MLAs from Shimla Vikramaditya Singh and Rohit Thakur, Jubbal Kotkhai have also pledged their support to the apple farmers.
On the other hand Theog CPM MLA Rakesh Singha has joined SKM in support of demands of the farmers and has been pleading case of the farmers with the state government.
The farmers’ march to Secretariate has become a big political potboiler ahead of the state assembly polls just couple of months away.
Shouting slogans the farmers ventilated their anger over the meteoric rise in cost of production of the apple that has made the apple farming a losing profession for the lakh of unemployed youth who were looking back to farm for survival in the post-Covid recovery period.
SKM convenor Harish Chauhan, who has been a BJP worker for over 30 years and Sanjay Chauhan, a former Shimla Mayor and CPIM leader and farmers representing over 27 farmers bodies have come on a single platform for the first time, cutting across the party lines.
This show of unity of the farmers has come as a major worry for the Jai Ram Thakur government ahead of elections.
The government has constituted committee under the chairmanship Chief secretary RD Dhiman to address the issues of the farmers.
The government has also constituted another committee under Vice-Chancellor Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University Nauni to oversee the process of fixing the price of apples taken in private CA stores.
The progressive orchardists have also been included as members, they claimed.
The government claimed that orders have been given to the Horticulture Department to strictly implement the provision of keeping apples of farmers in all private CA stores in the state as per the MoU.
The process of setting up Horticulture Board for horticulture development in the state is in progress.
But SKM said that the major demands of the farmers including - MIS scheme for all crops- including Rs 60 per kg for Grade A ,Rs 44 for B and Rs 24 per kg for C grade Apples remain unaddressed. The government was beating around the bush, they rued.
They say that the orders of the state government are yet to be replicated on the ground. So far these remain an eyewash as farmers continue to suffer as the prices of apples have come down by over Rs 1000 par carton in Mandis even as peak season is yet to start, they said.
