Favouring foreign over local
Posted in Blog
Bharatsinh Jhala of CRANTI made a written appeal to the Chief Minister on 11 August 2009, requesting the details of price determination of essential food grains purchased from farmers. CRANTI requested that fair prices should be offered to them after considering the cost of cultivation, farmers’ labour and inflation.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Gandhinagar replied on 25 August 2009 stating that through the government program to support farmers, state governments submit the complete cost of cultivation- from
preparation of the fields to the sale of crops – to the national government every year. The figure is arrived at through a rigorous process whereby the cost of inputs such as seeds, sowing, ploughing, pesticides, labour, electricity, diesel etc. are included. Further the increase in the cost of the inputs from the previous year and losses incurred due to natural causes is also factored in.
These figures along with the recommended sale prices are submitted to the national government, who then approves a price at which the government will purchase the essential food grains from the farmers and publishes it before the marketing season.
The state government claims that it has in the sale price, incorporated the increase in input costs due to inflation. Thus farmers are receiving a fair price for essential flood grains through the support program.
In spite of the above claims, as per a RTI filed by CRANTI,
it was known that the government is paying Rs. 1250/ quintal for imported, and sometimes spoilt, food grains whereas native farmers are being paid only Rs. 1080 for their crop.How is Gujarat to progress if it discriminates against its citizens and favours foreign industry over indigenous producers?
