Hadauti farmers lack money to buy seeds

KOTA: Sowing season begins mid-October and lasts till November in Hadauti belt. This is a period of hope and financial revival for farmers. But due to last three crop failures, gloom and despair is dominating the region.
"Sowing of Rabi crops begins this month but the farmers of Hadauti have no money to buy peas, gram, wheat, mustard and coriander seeds.Neither do they have any assurance from the government to give them hope. Their pleas for improved quality of seeds, pesticides, water for irrigation and power have fallen on deaf ears," said Dasrath Kumar, a farmer from Kesoraipatan (Bundi) who's also the general secretary, Hadoti Kissan Union (HKU).
"The dilemma before the farmer is that there is no money for seeds. The wheat seeds available in market are of poor quality (mixed with inferior seeds, which do not sprout)," said another farmer Jagdish Sharma from Baran. "Pesticides available in the market were not effective in controlling diseases, urad dal crops were wiped out due to ineffective pesticides."
"Farmer lives in perpetual hope," said Satya Narain, prant pramukh, Kishanganj, Baran. "We do not have money to buy seeds, maximum number of farmers and their families are working as labourers to generate funds to be able to sow new seeds. We are surviving on roti chatni, vegetables are a delicacy and dals a rarity."
Add to that the cooperative society is giving loans with the maximum value of only Rs 10,000 as compared to a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh it allowed earlier. How will the farmer buy inputs with soybean and urad crops destroyed? Patwari records only 20% crops destroyed whereas crops destroyed stand at 80%, said Jagdish Sharma.
"This month farmers could not sow mustard seeds as there is no water for irrigation. Mustard is a preferred seed for sowing as it less costly," said Amar Lal Gahlaut, farmer from Arjunpura village, Ladpura tehsil. "Garlic is a much preferred crop in Hadauti. We prefer to sow wheat as it serves dual purpose - one, we use it as grain, and second, it can also be used as fodder for animals. Last three years, we have had crop failure of coriander, so this year it will be in limited areas. Meanwhile, for harvesting methi, we need water only twice for its irrigation so again, we prefer it."
"After a field survey or Girdhawari to assess the crop damage, farmers will be entitled for input subsidy under NDRF and SBRF only if the total damage of crop is more than 33%," said the Baran collector Lalti Kumar Gupta.