From Our Correspondent
Tura, Dec 30: A recent report from the central government has put Meghalaya in an unenvious position in terms of retail inflation with the state ranking the worst in terms of inflation. Added to this is the fact that the state has also been found to be the second poorest in the country.
Given the current situation in the state, especially with the ban on rat-hole mining of coal, the state has been struggling with finances, and by extension so have the various ADCs, with the GHADC undeniably the worst affected. As per the latest reports, the council owes its employees a whopping 30 months of salaries and the number is likely to increase in the months to come.
While the situation looks grim overall, the situation in the Garo Hills has been pathetic for close to a decade now with no real solution in sight to provide impetus to local markets.
The year 2023 has, for most, been the worst of the past decade with people feeling the pinch in more ways than one.
The economy of Garo Hills is mainly dependent on land and whatever produce can be procured from it.
Be it rice, ginger, betel nut, cashews, turmeric, pineapple – the land has been blessed with plenty.
The lack of a readymade market for such produce has left the farmers and cultivators at the mercy of middlemen who buy them at throwaway rates and then sell them as if these are kidneys they are selling.
“You have to understand that most of these products are cultivated in the hills and then brought to markets in the plains. If they are unsold, they are either discarded or sold off at throwaway prices. This provides opportunities for businessmen to exploit the farmers,” said a resident of Phulbari, Samgar Sangma.
Sangma stated that many things are wrong with the agrarian economy and some of these stories will sting the heart.
“There are so many cases of distress sale of products where entire plantations are leased out to businessmen whenever there is a need for money by these cultivators. The amounts could be as low as Rs 50000 and entire plantations are given sometimes for five years, sometimes 10. The losses they suffer are huge but where is the succour for them in their time of need,” he added.
For an agrarian region, there is hardly any support for those practicing farming or agriculture.
The lack of cold storage in most markets in the region has added to the woes of the agrarian community as distress sales are more rampant.
This year too has not been any different with a bumper harvest everywhere and no real markets to sell what has been produced.
‘Most of what is produced in Garo Hills is organic and will sell in the rest of the country for premium prices. Our pineapples are a huge hit and our cashew nuts are the sweetest but for the farmer, the rates just don’t add up for serious businesses.
On the betel nut trade, an interesting scenario has developed especially with the illegal import from Myanmar through Bangladesh and then into India through the borders of South Garo Hills. As per sources, the smuggling has been ongoing for the past four years.
“What has happened is that the ready availability of so many illegal nuts (sometimes 30-40 trucks of the dried variety) has reduced the rates of locally available betel nuts. Further, the demand has also come down. Given that there is a syndicate in operation which will only be possible with the blessings of powerful people from the state, you often wonder as to who they are working for – the people that got them there or their selfish benefits,” said a South Garo Hills resident on condition of anonymity.
Traditional farmers have over the past decade moved into betel plantations as the product quality in the region is good and fetched high prices. The sponsored smuggling of the product has not put their livelihoods in peril.
Markets in Garo Hills, which till a few years ago were bustling with frenetic activity, have continued to lack enough business to ensure profits. This year in various towns of Garo Hills has been the worst. While online shopping is partly to blame, the lack of liquid funds in people’s hands has left people shaking their heads.
“People don’t have the money to go binge shopping. Even special occasions like Pujas and Christmas experienced lukewarm responses from the people. This has never been the case. The phenomenon is recent and can be attributed to the fact that the ban on coal mining has left people with very little to splurge,” said a shopper from Tura.
One resident observed that money to splurge on now rests in the hands of only a few. However, they hardly shop in local markets.
The escalation of prices of essential commodities, including food grains and vegetables has been an ongoing phenomenon that is unlikely to change in the years to come.
“If you buy potatoes for Rs 10 in Assam the same will cost you at least Rs 15 here. The same is true with fruits and vegetables too. There seems to be no way to control the escalation of prices especially with so many local taxes that add up. The trader will not sell at a loss which means that these prices are forced on to consumers. There have been attempts to control this by the TMB but it has failed time and again,” added another Tura resident.
Another aspect of the difference between the Khasi-Jainita region and Garo Hills is tourism.
“We don’t have tourism to fall back on like the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Tourism footfalls in Garo Hills, despite the presence of so many beautiful sights, are extremely low which has meant that local businesses which would have profited from tourism footfalls are not there,” stated a Williamnagar resident, LD Shira.
Whether there is anything that the state can do to boost the economy of Garo Hills is a question worth pondering. Local entrepreneurs have been dreaming of a solution though without the opening of coal mining, the floodgates for now will remain firmly shut. Until then attempts at creating better markets for local products as well as its marketing needs to be looked at or more Pujas and Christmas’ will continue to experience lukewarm responses in years to come.