NASHIK :
The last year’s prolonged rains and floods had already created trouble for small and marginalised farmers. Now, the coronavirus lockdown has pushed them to the brink.
The prolonged lockdown along with rain and hailstorm in many places in the district has heightened rural distress.
The disruption in wholesale APMC markets and transportation hurdles have ravaged the rural economy. Farmers are chopping orchards, ploughing blooming fields of flowers and selling produce at throwaway prices. The absence of field-level assessment by insurance companies is making compensation difficult.
Grape farmers are stressed because exports have stopped and wineries are not buying. Desperate farmers are selling grapes at Rs 10/kg in several villages in advantage to the raisin traders. For flower growers, demand has vanished as temples are shut and there are no weddings.
Even though the Centre has exempted agricultural activity from the lockdown restrictions and has also taken steps to ensure availability of fertilizers and pesticides for the coming season, in the state of Maharashtra, however, the distressed farmers who are reeling under debt burden are finding it difficult for themselves to seek new crop loans from banks to be prepared for Kharif season.
The loan waiver process initiated by the ruling Mahavikas Aghadi government in the state has come to a standstill due to the financial crunch caused by Covid-19 lockdown.
Mahavikas Aghadi’s Mahatma Phule Loan Waiver Scheme is stuck in lockdown and out of 1.47 lakh beneficiaries in the district, only 778 farmers have so far benefitted from loan waiver. The remaining 1.46 lakh marginalised farmers are still in wait for loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh. This is the situation being faced not only in the district but also in the entire state.
The state is in financial crisis due to the corona and there is a cloud of uncertainty over whether farmers will get loan waiver in the near future or not. The lockdown has created a mountain of problems for farmers. The announcement of loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh was a big relief to the farmers. Small and marginalised farmers, in particular, were to get the benefit of loan waiver. The state government was also to provide incentives to borrowers who make regular repayments. The restructuring of loans was to be processed to pave the way for farmers to get new crop loans during the Kharif season.
However, now as the state government is dealing with the Corona crisis with a heavy burden on its exchequer, the farmers are likely to get loan waiver benefits only after Diwali. However, in view of the present situation and inability of the farmers to repay outstanding dues, there are signs that farmers in the district would find it difficult to get new crop loans from the district bank and other banks to get prepared for Kharif season.
In the meantime, in the wake of pre-monsoon spells, weather experts have advised farmers to store their harvested crops in safer places and inspect soil of their agricultural land to know farmland texture before sowing so as to decide on the crop to be taken. They have also been advised by meteorologist Kirankumar Johare not to sow seeds till the soil garners adequate moisture and till, at least, 65 mm of rainfall is recorded and clumps are broken in order to avoid double sowing.
