Ooty farmers aghast at parties neglecting agriculture

Ooty: The ‘Malai Maavatta Siruvivasayigal Nala Sangam(MMSNS)’, a farmers association here in the hills, have urged the major political parties to include farmers issues in Nilgiris, including floriculture issues, in their election manifesto.

Thumboor I. Bhojan, president of the MMSNS, said that the association in its recent meet, expressed its disappointment over the major political parties contesting in the Nilgiris, conveniently ignored the livelihood threatening issues being faced by the farming community in the Nilgiris as they failed to include the issues of the farmers in Nilgiris in their respective  election manifestos.

"It is a well known fact how the small tea farmers are passing through a distressing period due to non-remunerative price for the green tea leaf.  This apart, floriculture, which was introduced in the past,  as an alternative to tea plantation, too in a state of instability due to marketing problem.

The vegetable growers are facing the music due to either decrease in the prices for their farm produce or damage done to the farm fields by climatological factors" he said and noted that none of the major political parties contesting LS polls in the Nilgiris(SC) constituency touched these farmers issues in their manifestos.

This part, rising incidents of adulteration of tea in tea processing units and drought prevailing in the hills for the past few months have added to the misery of the farmers, besides the lack of industrial growth in the Nilgiris, he noted.

The MMSNS advocates that the only solution to bring an end to the misery faced by the farming community in the hills is to waive the farm loans and to provide a drought relief for tea gardens.

 So, the farmers wanted the candidates contesting the LS polls here should commit to take up these issues to bring lasting solutions to these issues in Nilgiris, he added.