The Hindu : Fall in prices of red gram affects farmers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Fall in prices of red gram affects farmers

By T.V. Sivanandan

GULBARGA JAN. 7. The harvest season is a joyous occasion for farmers, but not for those who grow red gram in the Gulbarga region. The increasing cultivation cost and fluctuation in prices of red gram, and the indifferent attitude of the Union and the State governments towards the problems of farmers have become a cause for concern.

The problems faced by red gram farmers in the region differ from year to year. The vagaries of weather and the dreaded "Helicoverpa" pest are common. The fall in prices of red gram at the time of harvest and new arrivals in the market have affected the farmers. Prices of red gram have crashed when the production has come down from 25 lakh quintals to 17 lakh quintals this year. Usually, the price of any produce will go up when the production is low. However, this factor applies little to red gram farmers in the region. Last year, the price of red gram in the wholesale market did not come down below Rs. 1.700 a quintal despite the district producing 25 lakh quintals. However, the price crashed to Rs. 1,350 a quintal in the beginning of the season when the actual production was estimated at 17 lakh quintals this year.

Although red gram growers constitute a sizeable chunk of the population of the region, lack of unity among them and favourable situation in other States where the crop is grown on a large scale have prevented them from launching a struggle for remunerative prices for the produce. Farmers in North India are happy with the current prices of red gram as the cultivation cost is low and the yield they get compared to their counterparts in the Gulbarga region is high. Moreover, there is no demand from red gram growers all over the country to increase the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the Union Government.

A major portion of red gram production is confined to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and other States in North India. They contribute nearly 60 per cent of the country's total production. The cultivation methods followed by farmers of the Gulbarga region and those in North India differ. The delay in the onset of monsoon in North India this season helped red gram growers there to take up sowing while their counterparts in the Gulbarga region began sowing in July and completed it by August. Usually, the "Helicoverpa" pest attacks the red gram crop in the flowering stage in October-November and the cloudy climate during these months helps the pest thrive on it.

The advantage enjoyed by farmers in North India this season was the flowering stage was delayed due to late sowing while their counterparts in the Gulbarga region had no alternative but to take up sowing in July and August, and because of this, they could not escape the pest attack. To overcome the pest attack, the farmers here had to spray pesticides at least eight to 10 times, while their counterparts in North India sprayed only once or twice.

Besides, red gram is being imported from Burma, Thailand, Tanzania, and Kenya, which is available at a cheaper rate. This also contributed to the fall in prices of the produce. Unless the Government increases the minimum support price for red gram and imposes heavy import duty, the future appears to be bleak for farmers in the Gulbarga region.

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