Farmers’ delegation airs grievances to Guv

SHILLONG: A delegation of Khasi Jaintia Farmers’ Association (KJFA) submitted a memorandum to Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday seeking his intervention in addressing various issues faced by them.
Besides urging the Governor to frame a sound and holistic policy for the farmers of Meghalaya, the delegation expressed concern that till date broomstick and bay leaf have not been officially recognised as agricultural produce and requested Purohit to ask the government to stop taxing these products.
Other grievances placed before the Governor included the need to put in place a fixed yearly market support price for potato and other vegetables and providing adequate relief to farmers during failure of crops due to natural calamities etc.
The association also called upon the Governor to instruct the state government to set up special markets solely for agricultural and horticultural produce.
‘Housing scheme scam’
Meanwhile, the association has alleged that the housing schemes for BPL in villages etc., are offered to those who are in the good books of the MLAs and MDCs or their agents.
The governor was also urged to ensure the state government implements the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).