The deepening fertiliser crisis in Madhya Pradesh had robbed farmers of sleep. With paddy and other kharif crops in the sowing season, crops were on the verge of drying up for want of fertiliser. As soon as news came that a fertiliser rake had reached the district, thousands of people thronged outside cooperative societies and mandis. From Sunday night, crowds of farmers were seen outside Karhiya Mandi, Chakghat warehouse and other cooperative societies in Rewa district.<\/p>\n
Unruly crowd at Karhiya Mandi<\/h3>\n<\/figure>\n
At Karhiya Mandi, the district\u2019s largest, farmers stood in line with women and children from late Sunday night. When rain began at 2 am, stampede-like conditions arose. Helpless farmers tried to escape the rain with plastic sheets, shawls and tin sheds. Many women held small children in their arms and stayed in the mandi premises all night. The queue grew so long that it spilled out of the premises and stretched about two kilometres.<\/p>\n
Hardship for women and children<\/h3>\n
Women and children bore the brunt of the disorganised fertiliser distribution. Women said they had been standing in line since 6 pm, with no arrangement for water, toilets or security. Sangeeta Singh said: \u201cThere is no place even to take shelter from the rain. We have been sitting under the open sky all night, and in such a crowd it is difficult even for women to go to the toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Farmer leaders\u2019 anger<\/h3>\n
On learning of the situation, leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha reached the spot. National spokesperson and senior Kisan Sangharsh Samiti leader Shiv Singh, advocate, and farmer leaders Indrajeet Singh Shankhu, Raja Shukla and Sachin Singh spoke to the farmers. They alleged that the administration was ignoring the farmers\u2019 suffering. The leaders warned that if conditions did not improve, an even bigger fertiliser crisis would arise during the coming wheat sowing. Shiv Singh, advocate, said: \u201cJust as Ganesh immersion is under way, the farmers of the state will immerse the BJP government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Questions over black marketing<\/h3>\n
Farmers alleged that fertiliser was being made to disappear from societies and shops and later sold at higher prices. One farmer said in anger: \u201cIf we do not get fertiliser, our crops will be ruined.\u201d He added that it would come to a point where farmers would be driven to suicide.<\/p>\n
Administration\u2019s claims<\/h3>\n
Additional Collector Sapna Tripathi said fertiliser rakes were being received in the district continuously and fertiliser was being distributed to cooperative societies and private sellers under the supervision of revenue officers and the agriculture department. She appealed to farmers to lift fertiliser only according to their one-week requirement. The administration claimed fertiliser was distributed on 27 August at Semaria, Harduwa, Mangawan, Bada Gaon, Bamhni, Sohagi and other societies.<\/p>\n
Ground reality differs<\/h3>\n<\/figure>\n
Whatever the administration claimed, the situation on the ground painted a different picture. At Karhiya Mandi, about 2,000 farmers were still camped even after 36 hours. Women had left their children at home and had been sitting in the queue since midnight. Elderly farmers were seen lying on the ground, while children huddled in shawls to protect themselves from the cold. In some places people were burning incense sticks to ward off mosquitoes, and elsewhere farmers were forced to eat their meals standing.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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