THE Assam state unit of All India Kisan Sabha successfully organised the first ever state-level convention of vegetable growers at Sarbhog in Barpeta district, which is known for large-scale cultivation of vegetables by small and marginal farmers. The two-day convention was held on November 21-22 in the historic Gandhi Hall of Sarbhog. The convention ended with a massive rally of around five thousand peasants on November 22.

The surrounding area of Sarbhog, popularly known as Barnagar area, is a hub of vegetable cultivation in the state. However, the cultivators, mainly small and marginal farmers with small land holdings and little provision of irrigation and modern technology, rarely get remunerative prices for their crops. The prices of vegetables such as tomato, potato, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, carrot, turnip etc start to fall in the open market as soon as the cultivators take them to the market. When there is huge supply, the wholesale dealers play a kind of blackmailing with the cultivators by quoting a very low price for the vegetables. Since there is no provision of storage and no minimum support price or procurement price for vegetables as in case of rice, sugar etc, the small cultivators have no other option but to throw away their produce to the wholesale dealers at whatever price is offered. This is how vegetable growers in Assam get exploited every year. While the cost of cultivation is on the rise with the hike in prices of fertilisers, seeds, logistics, labour charge, water supply etc, prices of vegetables are very fluctuating and unstable which keep the farmers in deep anxiety. The prices reach the lowest level during the full harvesting season. While at the same period of time, the same vegetables are sold at a much higher price to the common consumers in towns and cities. Thus the cultivators at one end and the general consumers at another get exploited by the nexus between the businessman, the government and the politician. If there were a proper policy on the part of the government, then both the vegetable growers as well as the consumers would have been equally benefited.

In this backdrop, the Assam State Kisan Sabha decided to organise the first state-level convention of vegetable growers at Sarbhog. It was also organised at a time when there is a sudden rise in cases of suicide of farmers in the state. In the past three months, more than 40 farmers have committed suicide in various districts of Assam, which is unprecedented in the state. All of them are small cultivators trapped in debt crisis. Recently, the AIKS state unit had organised a sit-in demonstration of the family members of the deceased farmers, which got good response from people and wide coverage in the media.

The convention began with the hoisting of the organisation flag by Assam State Kisan Sabha president Fazlur Rahman at the forecourt of historic Gandhi Hall. It was followed by the delegate session. As many as 200 delegates from seven districts, with concentration of vegetable growers, participated in the convention. A presidium comprising Fazlur Rahman, Durgeswar Deka, Purna Sarma and Babar Ali conducted the proceeding. The delegate session was inaugurated by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah. In his address, Hannan Mollah appreciated the initiative of the Assam unit of AIKS for holding the convention. He highlighted the plight of small and marginal farmers of the country who are always at the receiving end. The neo-liberal policy of the central government has further aggravated the agrarian crisis. He criticised the Modi government for backtracking from its pre-election promises made to the farmers. He also came down heavily on the Modi government for its communal agenda and growing climate of intolerance in the country.

Assam State Kisan Sabha secretary Tiken Das moved the main resolution of the convention which dwelt at length on the precarious condition of the vegetable growers of the state. The resolution noted with deep anguish that the farmers have lost interest in the cultivation of vegetables due to the repeated loss incurred by them every year. As per the government statistics, the land area under vegetable cultivation in the state has reduced from 3.86 lakh hectre in 2012-13 to 3.65 lakh hectares in 2013-14, which has resulted in the decrease of vegetables production in the state from 60.34 lakh metric tonne to 53.30 lakh metric tonne during the same period. Thus the state has failed to meet the demand of vegetables in the state. Every year, the state imports vegetables from other states worth Rs 1,500 crore. This is due to the lack of interest of farmers in growing vegetables as they are denied remunerative prices. The faulty policy or total absence of any policy of the government is responsible for this unfortunate situation in the state. In order to improve the situation, the resolution of the convention put forward a set of demands. All together nine delegates took part in the discussion on the resolution moved by the secretary.

DEMANDS:

(1) Provide fertiliser, seeds, pesticides, agricultural implements etc to the farmers at a subsidised rate so that the production costs remain very low;

(2) Establish special procurement agency to purchase vegetables at a fixed rate from the farmers by the government;

(3) Establish adequate number of cold storage for the preservation of vegetables;

(4) Adequate transportation system for vegetables;

(5) Ensure irrigation and water supply;

(6) Set up soil research centres in every district for soil tasting and maintaining soil fertility;

(7) Adequate training for farmers in the use of fertiliser and pesticides;

(8) Compensation and crop insurance for farmers affected by natural calamities

(9) Provide soft loan to vegetable growers

(10) Prevent corruption of the agriculture department

(11) Subsidised electricity connections to vegetable gardens

On the second day of the convention, the open rally was held. It was not a statewide rally, the focus was only to mobilise people from the area falling under Sarbhog LAC in view of the forthcoming assembly elections in the state. However, it looked like a statewide rally with the massive gathering of more than five thousand small and marginal peasants. Manoranjan Talukdar, a veteran leader of Kisan movement and state secretariat member of the CPI(M) presided over the meeting. The objectives were explained by Tiken Das. He made a brief presentation about the discussion in the delegate session and overall agrarian scenario in the state. Fazlur Rahman addressed the rally and highlighted various agitational programmes of AIKS.

Hemen Das, veteran Kisan leader of Assam as well as fourth time MLA from Sarbhog LAC, delivered a mesmerising speech connecting the local problems of the farmers with the national issues. He criticised both the state government led by Congress and the central government of BJP for their anti-farmer, anti-youth and anti-people policies.

Hannan Mollah was the main speaker and he elaborated on the current situation. In very simple and lucid language, he highlighted the suffering of the peasants and common man under the neo-liberal regime, the recent communal and divisive activities of the Sangh Parivar, the lessons for the BJP in Bihar elections and the importance of united struggle. He also castigated the Modi government for its hollow slogan of ‘Make in India’ as it will turn out to be 'Loot in India'. He lambasted that the country’s export has declined but the foreign visits of the Prime Minister have risen! The Sangh Parivar is working overtime to divide the people of the country along religious lines to reap electoral benefits but this has backfired in Bihar. In Assam now they would concentrate, as they have no hopes of win in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Pondicherry, the states which will go to polls in the next phase. Already the communal situation is worsening in the state. Therefore, Mollah called upon the peasants and the working class to remain united and to take on unitedly the communal forces of the country.