MP Lop Slams State Govt Over Agriculture Policy

(MENAFN- IANS) Barwani, March 2 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar said on Monday that farmers of Nimar region were looking for some new schemes from the BJP government.

“However, the meeting appears to be more a means of publicity and image-building than farmer welfare,” he said.

Congress leader Singhar, who also belongs to the Tribal community from Dhar district of Nimar region, said,“The cabinet meeting attempted to cover up the situation by approving an irrigation project in Varla and Pansemal.

Noting that the main crops in Barwani district are cotton, soybeans, maize, and bananas and papayas, he said,“If industries related to these were established, tribal farmers would have benefited significantly. Today, the cotton industry in the district has been virtually eliminated.”

He said that the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) claims to purchase cotton from farmers at MSP; in reality, it started purchasing at MSP only after small and medium-sized farmers had sold their produce to traders.

Singhar claimed Sendhwa block, once known as the Cotton Bowl, has lost trade to Maharashtra and Gujarat due to high taxes and other factors.

Singhar stated that, despite having three industrial parks and being connected to the national highway, labour migration from Barwani and other neighbouring districts increased year after year due to the lack of industrial infrastructure.

“Every day, more than 200 pickup trucks and buses depart for Gujarat and Maharashtra, where wages are higher than in Madhya Pradesh,” he added.

He also mentioned that Barwani district ranks fifth in the NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index, and that 60,000 children in the district are underweight, with 23 per cent to 55 per cent malnourished.

Singhar said he expected the Chief Minister to present concrete plans to develop farmers and double incomes. Instead, he called the "Agriculture Cabinet" meeting a mere show and PR stunt, similar to the Chief Minister's foreign tours.

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