Distressed areca nut farmers meet Tripura CM, seek his intervention
The areca nut farmers of Jampui Hill under the umbrella organisation of Jampui Farmers' Union (JamFU) met Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha in his chamber on Wednesday.
The JamFU team sought the Chief Minister’s immediate intervention and help on the current crisis faced by the farmers who are unable to find buyers and sell their commodity due to apparent restrictions imposed on transportation of the commodity by the Assam government into their state, wherefrom mahajon/traders dealing with the commodity mostly come.
The JamFU team was joined by leaders of areca nut farmers from various places in the North district of Tripura.
Areca nut is a cash crop mostly grown in North district, including Jampui Hills. It has been a valuable commodity in which a large number of families invested close to a hundred per cent of their time and human and financial resources. With a handsome profit in returns, it has been considered 'green gold' for the past so many years.
However, this year, it is likely to be the opposite, with the commodity in danger of being dumped as waste, as it is not seeing any trader and buyer coming forth due to unknown and unspecific reasons which one can only make assumptions upon.
The Chief Minister, already being alert of the grim situation faced by the farmers, talked about the crisis with his Assam counterpart Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma over the phone. The two Chief Ministers also agreed to talk further face-to-face about the crisis faced by the farmers when the Assam Chief Minister visit Tripura on November 7 next.
Dr Saha assured the leaders of the farmers that he himself will also immediately take up the issue with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
When contacted over the phone, Dr Zairemthiama Pachuau, General Secretary of Jampui Hill Mizo Convention (MC) described the situation of the farmers and the economic and political consequences of not addressing their issues may have.
He said, "Our farmers are in demoralized, stressful and panic situations. They are literally crying. They are facing starvation. Not only farmers of Jampui Hill, but also farmers of other parts of North district, even areca nut farmers of neighbouring Mizoram state”.
He also added, "And not to be forgotten, buyers and traders from Assam who make a living out of the crop. And we all know that Tripura and Assam are BJP ruled states, and Mizoram is MNF's, a constituent of BJP's NEDA. If the arecanut farmers and traders of these three states are not rescued from the looming economic doom coming to haunt them, it is likely that the ruling governments of the three states will also have to pay huge prices in the coming polls."