NCP launches agitation in favour of distressed orange growers

NAGPUR: NCP Youth Congress workers and orange growers in the district launched an agitation in Katol, about 40 kms from here to strongly protest against Maharashtra government's failure to provide any financial help to distressed farmers suffering from crop damages and low market rates.

A number of workers tonsured their heads and staged a 'dharna' to register their protest yesterday against the government for its failure to take any cognizance of the miserable condition of farmers.

State Vice-President of NCP Youth Congress, Salil Deshmukh, who is in-charge of Vidarbha region, led the youth workers, a release from his office said last night.

The NCP Youth Congress has warned that they would continue their agitation till the government takes note of the grievances of the farmers.

Addressing agitating workers, Deshmukh said that soyabean crop also suffered losses while cotton failed to bring remunerative prices to farmers.

Now, orange orchards in Katol and Narkhed taluka and other nearby orange-growing areas suffered from diseases resulting in fruit fall.

The farmers are not getting prices which could recoup the expenditure for plucking, leave aside the cost of production, he pointed out.

The prevailing prices of oranges in the market range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per tonne. As a result, thousand of tonnes of oranges are lying in the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) at Katol and Narkhed.

The concerned district authorities have decided to visit Katol-Narkhed on November 29 to meet the affected farmers.

Deshmukh expressed confidence that the farmers would get good prices for their oranges through Nanded's processing project. This would bring a ray of hope to them, he added in the release.