Tractor rally of SKM and Apple Growers Association in Shimla and Kullu on January 26
On the nationwide call of Sanyukat Kissan Manch, Himachal Pradesh Seb Utpaadak Sangh (Apple Growers Association) would hold tractor rally in Shimla and Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on January 26, 2024.
Addressing a press conference at Combermere here today National convenor of Seb Utpaadak Sangh Sohan Thakur said that SUS has decided to bring motor rally of Apple growers from Narkanda to state secretariat to support the SKM as after three years it didn’t complete the promise made by the Modi government to provide support price to farmers on the all crops.
The agreement had reached with the central government in the historic movement of the SKM has been constantly ignored by the central government and all farmers and Apple growers decided to hold tractor rally and motor rally across the country to draw the attention towards promise made by the government.
He said that apple growers still waiting to release the pending amount of Rs 40 crore on account of payment of Market Intervention Scheme of 2022 and Rs 93 Cr of 2023. Union government shares fifty percent of the cost of MIS but it have kept only Rs one lakh as token money for 2023_24 and Rs four Crore in 2022-23. State government blaming Modi government for not releasing MIS share and thousands of apple growers are left in the limbo.
SUS convenor said that three agricultural laws have been repealed under the pressure of farmers but are in the process of being implemented through the back doors.
He said that farmers accross country decided to remind the defeaf union government about the agreements signed with farmer organizations which have not been implemented.
Sanyukt Kisan Manch rally would start from Narkanda in Shimla district at 1100 hrs and reach Shimla Secretariat at 1500 hrs, In Kullu district also apple growers association would participate in motor rally.
The Apple Growers Association would also participate with other farmers’ organizations in the Janata Mein Janata Jagran Abhiyaan against the agreement reached with the farmers has been bypassed.
Current central government pro-corporate policies have brutally attacked people’s livelihood and their fundamental rights. As a result of this agriculture distress is increasing and farmers are facing an onslaught on the price of agricultural land agricultural produce sold through mandis and as a result their declining income.
Apart from this, unbridled increase in costs of pesticides and fertilizers due to withdrawal of input subsidy and lack of remunerative prices in the market has made agriculture an economically unviable system, he added.
