Gurpreet Singh :- In a stark reflection of the ongoing agrarian distress, a farmer in Fazilka district was forced to plough his fully grown potato crop back into the fields after failing to secure remunerative prices in the market. The farmer, Ajay Wadhwa, took the drastic step across nearly six acres of cultivated land, citing heavy financial losses and unsustainable input costs.
According to the farmer, expenses related to harvesting, sorting, and transporting the produce to mandis were exceeding the returns, leaving him with no viable option but to destroy the crop. He revealed that this was not an isolated incident, as he had earlier been compelled to discard his carrot crop under similar circumstances.
Wadhwa further stated that after suffering losses in kinnow orchards, he had shifted to vegetable farming in hopes of better returns, but volatile market conditions and lack of proper pricing mechanisms continued to push him into debt. He expressed frustration over the absence of effective government support, despite repeated calls to diversify cropping patterns.
Officials from the horticulture department acknowledged that marketing challenges persist in the region, where a significant area is under vegetable cultivation. They have assured that the matter will be examined to understand the reasons behind the incident and explore possible solutions.
