Facing a broad range of vulnerabilities, farmers are sceptical of election-time promises by political parties, be it on protection from wild animal attacks or on better prices for natural rubber. The current election campaign has reflected the concerns of farmers in some segments. But political parties are not in a position to effectively intervene in the market or help farmers realise better prices, said rubber farmer Shajimon Jose.
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Political parties are promising to look into or consider the issues raised by the farmers, but there is a serious lack of faith in their undertakings, said Paul Mathew, a coffee farmer in Wayanad. One of the areas that has drawn attention during the campaign is the conflict with wild animals. The drought-like conditions are also slowly catching attention as the campaign progresses, he added.
Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh State chairman Binoy Thomas said farmers are disappointed by both the Union and State governments. The governments have not been positive in carrying out the promise to provide minimum support price (MSP) for crops. While the Union government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power making promises to farmers, it has not lived up to the expectations of the farmers, he said. And, the State has not been able to take advantage of some schemes like MSP-backed procurement of products such as raw coconut, he added.
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However, the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] claimed that it has approached farmers’ problems with a positive mindset. The State government, says C.V. Varghese, Idukki district secretary of the party, has drawn up a plan to find a permanent solution to the problem of wild animal attacks. But the Centre has turned it down. It is not right to blame the State government alone for the problems facing the farmers, he added.
But Idukki Congress Committee president C.P. Mathew said the State government has done little to contain farmer-wild animal conflicts. He alleges criminal negligence on the part of the State in ensuring farmers’ welfare.
Baby John, a pineapple farmer in Vazhakulam, blames both political parties and the media for the way the election campaign reflects farmers’ issues. He said the immediate threat facing pineapple farmers is the drought-like condition, which threatens to affect about 50% of the crop.
The worst affected crop so far this season is small cardamom. “At least 30% of production will be lost this season owing to dry conditions,” said a farmer in Kumily. The current uptrend in cardamom price is given the future shortage of supplies owing to the conditions now, he added. The price has moved to an average of ₹1,600 a kg from the previous level of around ₹1,300 a kg.
Rubber farmers are also a worried lot because the domestic price has not appreciated in tandem with an upswing in the international price. This is because of the trade agreements with ASEAN countries from where compounded rubber is imported at lower rates, said Mr. Jose. The price of rubber in Kottayam is ₹184 a kg for RSS4 while in Bangkok it is over ₹200 a kg .