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Nagpur: Demanding that
the export ban on cotton be lifted, over 2,000 farmers and farm
widows Sunday hanged the effigies of union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in this
Maharashtra district.
"The farmers demanded lifting of ban on cotton exports, a bailout
package for dying cotton farmers and rehabilitation of 10,000 farm
widows," said Kishor Tiwari, president of Vidarbha Jan Andolan
Samiti (VJAS), who spearheaded the agitation at Pandharkawada
village, 150 kms from Nagpur,
"Free trade and BT cotton seed has killed more 2,00,000 farmers in
Indian in last the last decade. We are protesting this genocide
and we have hanged the effigies of the killers," he added.
Tiwari lamented that the ban is forcing more farmer to commit
suicide and feared this trend will continue till the ban is lifted
"These suicides are being triggered due to recent imposition of
quantitative restriction of export of cotton and paddy. Farmers
were forced to sell cotton at Rs.4,000 per quintal whereas paddy
was sold at Rs.850 per quintal, much less than MSP (minimum
support price) of Rs.1,050, which is also less than the production
cost," he said.
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