Solan & Sirmaur’s red gold market crash 

The district Solan and Sirmaur, which is known as the red gold mine, has come under the grip of recession as Bangalore has overshadowed the tomato market  in Country.  About 25 kg tomato crate was selling around Rs 1100 to 1400, it has now slashed to Rs 400-500 per crate. This declining of market at Mahipur,  Parada, Chaknal, Neharswar, Mangarh, Nala Baka, Bagthan, Badu Sahib villages of Renuka ji,  disappointed the Farmers.  Suresh Sharma, Haridutt, Pinky, Madan Thakur, etc said that farmers face similar crashing of Market every year as rainy season arrive.They said that the farmers irrigate the tomato crop with buckets and cans by sweating their blood without having enough irregation facilities  but at the same time the farmers are hit by recession.  Due to which they are compelled to sell the crops grown with their hard earned money and blood and sweat at throwaway prices.  Surprisingly, Baldev Bhandari, chairman of the Agricultural Marketing Board, also hailed  from Sirmaur said that despite this, as a protector for the crops of the farmers, no scheme has proved effective in the interest of the farmers.

Surprisingly, no high capacity cold store has been set up by the government in this mid-belt.  Although there is not a single cold store in this entire area, it is necessary to have a large and high capacity cold store to complete the market.  By having a cold store, farmers can strengthen their economy by taking out their produce according to the market at any time.  Not only this, the condition of roads in rural areas is also not so good that farmers can take their crops from the field to the market on time.Roads in rural areas are often closed during the rainy season.  Due to which the tomatoes and other vegetables of the farmers rot in the field itself.  Apart from roads in the mid-belt of Sirmaur, there is no option for rope-way transportation anywhere.  Farmers say that in the last four years, they had high hopes from the double engine government, but only seminars, meetings and lucrative promises were seen regarding the interests of the farmers.  None of the plans have taken off at the ground level.  There is also great anger among the farmers about this.The farmers also say that Sirmaur is a district which has a big place in the government.  In which state BJP President and MP Suresh Kashyap, Baldev Bhandari himself belongs to the middle belt, while there is also a minister from Sirmaur in the government.  Along with this, Baldev Tomar, who belongs to Shillai assembly constituency, couldn’t not provide any benefit to suffering Farmers due to crashing of Market. Neither the government has been able to provide a good cold store in Sirmaur, nor has alternative arrangements been made to transport the crops.  Drone policy has also been implemented by the government, but the farmers are not seeing its existence anywhere.  If the government thinks about the interests of the farmers according to the local problems at the local level, better results can come.  The plans made by sitting in the AC rooms rarely prove benifciaries  to farmers. The rising cost of input like fertilizers and pesticides and fuel prices is hardly to be reimbursed from the market prices, they added.