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Journalism of Courage
Ramesh Patil, a farmer from the Latur district of Maharashtra, has decided to shun the soyabean crop and try his luck with vegetables this kharif season. He is not alone as even amid the ongoing voting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, more than who to vote for, farmers of the area had a more pressing question to ask — what to grow this kharif season?
While casting his vote, Patil, a resident of Chapuli in Chakur taluka, said he has decided to shift from soyabean as it is not lucrative for farmers like him anymore. “If it rains well, I might dedicate my entire three-acre land to grow vegetables,” he said.
Last year, Patil had sowed soyabean but both the yield and the returns have been anything but good, he said.
Barring toor, almost all other crops have traded either below the government declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) or barely above that. Meanwhile, the increased cost of production and labour has rocked the boat for many farmers and even as the IMD talks of a good monsoon this year, farmers are not enthusiastic.
At Latur’s wholesale market — one of the largest soyabean market in the country — the oilseed has traded between Rs 4,400-Rs 4,700/quintal against the MSP of Rs 4,600.
Even after holding their crop for most part of the year, prices have not gone up much.
Vilas Uphade, director of the Latur-based Vikas Farmers Producer Company (FPC) blamed the policies of the central government for the lower-than-expected returns earned by the farmers.
“If you allow free import of vegetable oil, how can farmers get the right price for their produce?” he asked. The central government had last year decided to allow duty free import of vegetable oil. This has seen India importing over 164.66 lakh tonne of crude vegetable oil which itself is a record in the last few years.
An oil miller of Latur said, “If imports are cheap, why would a solvent and extractor try to get domestic produce? Thus, farmers did not get good returns even amid lower-than-average yields.”
It’s not just soyabean growers who are in a dilemma about their kharif plans. Even cotton growers have the same dilemma.
Laxmikant Kauthakar a farmer from the village Adgaon Budruk in the Akot taluka of the Akola district in Maharashtra usually sows cotton and soyabean on his 40-acre land holding.
He said this season, returns from both the crops have not been lucrative. “Cotton is now trading at around Rs 7,000/quintal (against its government declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 6,600) and soyabean is now around Rs 4,200/quintal. Cost of production of every crop has increased manifold and losses are mounting,” Kauthakar said.
“Daily wages of labourers have increased multiple times. A woman worker is now being paid Rs 250 per day and a male labourer is getting Rs 500. Both these figures are set for a revision this year,” said Kauthakar.
Due to higher labour costs, Kauthakar and other farmers have decided to stay away from cotton but returns from soyabean are no good either.
Normally, India sees sowing of soyabean over 120 lakh hectare and an equal acreage under cotton. However, low demand, both from domestic and international markets, have resulted in lower-than-expected returns for cotton farmers, just like that of the soyabean crop.
Mujahid Ali, a farmer from the village of Sonala in the Sangrampur taluka of Buldhana has decided to shun both cotton and soyabean this year. “I would go for toor on the entire eight acre of my land and maybe I will be able to cover my losses of last year.” he said.
