10 lakh farmers’ earnings drowned due to increase in diesel prices in Gujarat

Gandhinagar, 13 April 2021

There are wells for irrigation of agricultural crops in an area of ​​20 lakh hectares in Gujarat. It is estimated that out of 58 lakh farmers in Gujarat, 10 lakh farmers are farming using diesel for irrigation. On average, a medium farmer owns 2 hectares of land. About 10 lakh farmers live by irrigation from wells.

Since sub-canals have not been constructed in the Narmada Canal by the government, farmers use diesel pump sets to take water for irrigation. The number of such farmers can be 4 lakhs.

Farmers irrigated with wells rather than bore wells and canals are mostly poor. It has little land and no irrigation canal or bore well facility. 40 lakh farmers are farming on 3 hectares of land.

Sub canals not built

Also, the Narmada Canal does not have sub-canals, so farmers use diesel engines on the sub-canal to draw water. Hence its production cost increases. In fact, it is estimated from the situation in Surendranagar that there are more than 4 lakh farmers who draw water from the canal through a diesel engine. The Government of Gujarat has not undertaken the responsibility of constructing small canals till the fields of these farmers. Therefore, farmers have to spend 80 percent of the total cost of farming on the Narmada Canal by installing engines on water which were to be available for free.

They use diesel engines on wells to draw water, do not irrigate bore well and canals.

Inefficient diesel engine use

The highest cost in agricultural production is 70 to 85 percent behind irrigation water. Oil engines and pump sets made in Rajkot are used by farmers and only 6 per cent of diesel engines are capable used. More than one and a half liters of diesel is used in 50 percent of the engines. A 24 per cent pump set uses one to one and a half to two times the diesel. 20% pump sets are those that use more than two, more diesel than capacity. This is according to a survey. Thus, the farmer eats mara twice. In addition, diesel is used by selecting footwalls, pipes, inefficient engines, pump sets that do not conform to the engine. Thus farmers are killed from all sides.

Sagar Rabari, farmer hero

Farmer hero Sagar Rabari says that the 15-horsepower engine uses 3 to 4 liters of diesel per hour. One and a half to two liters of diesel is used in 10 horsepower per hour. Irrigation is done from half a BIGHA to 1 BIGHA in an hour. Accordingly, farmers have to bear heavy expenditure on diesel.

Daydream

There has been a huge increase in the cost of farming with the increase in the cost of fertilizer and diesel leading to a huge increase in the cost of farming. Therefore, the prices of vegetables and major crops have gone up. The data itself says that the income of the farmer is decreasing, the matter of doubling is just a daydream.

The increase in diesel prices has doubled since the BJP came to power. In contrast, diesel prices in Muslim countries, including Pakistan and China, have halved in 2021 compared to 2014. If a farmer spends Rs 10,000 on his farm, he spends Rs 8,000 on diesel.

The main costs in agriculture are diesel, electricity, fertilizer and labor.

Month Year – Price – Rs.

Apr-13 – 43.63

Apr-14- 55.48

Apr-15 – 49.41

Apr-16 – 48.33

July-17 – 53.33,

Jul-18 – 67.38

19 July – 66.69

June -20 – 79.88

Mar-21 – 81.47

86.59 percent price increase

Thus, in the 9 years from 2013 to 2021, the price of diesel has increased from Rs 43.63 to Rs 81.41. At one stage, diesel prices rose by 100 percent. Currently, the price is 86.59 percent higher.

In addition, there has been a huge increase in diesel in tractors, equipment etc. It is estimated that a farmer has to pay Rs 5,000 per hectare for a tractor and Rs 30,000 per hectare for a diesel engine.

ALSO READ

https://allgujaratnews.in/en/bjps-agricultural-policy-in-gujarat-is-based-on-cows-but-90-percent-bulls-destroyed/ 

8 lakh tractors against 6 lakh bulls

Gujarat has a total population of 18.50 lakh oxen. There are 12 lakh bulls for farming. There are 56-58 lakh farmers in total. A total of 6 lakh farmers now have the number of oxen.

7.73 lakh tractors are registered in Gujarat in 2019-20. The unregistered mini tractor, the homemade mini tractor is estimated at 20 lakhs. One who does the work of an ox and a man. Tractors are now used for farming such as weeding, sowing, planting, and thresher.

Small farmer increased

There are 56-58 lakh farmers in total. In 2001 there were 6 lakh farmers with half a hectare of land. It has increased to 1.3 million in 2021. The number of farmers with half an acre of land has increased from 7 lakh to 16 lakh in 20 years.

In this way, bullocks are not being cultivated on 5 to 10 bighas of land. Diesel is used in tractors. Which cost the farmers dearly.

2019-20
GUJARAT AGRI LAND AND IRRIGATION IN HECTOR
TOTALWELWEL
AGRIIRRIGATIONIRRIGATION
DistrictLAND HA.NET AREA HA.GROSS AREA
Surat2513001340017800
Narmada1130001240016100
Bharuch3149001100023000
Dang5650000
Navsari10680075008000
Valsad1643001790027100
Tapi1491001580026200
South Gu.1663700
Ahmedabad4874002770047200
Anand1838002110045900
Kheda2835004380074900
Panchmahal1762001460021700
Dahod223600570023800
Vadodara3047002160026600
Ocean1224001420017700
Chhotaudepur2066003740043400
Middle Gu.1988200
Banaskantha69160046300115900
Patan3604001060011100
Mehsana348100740014300
Sabarkantha27160086000138300
Gandhinagar16020000
Aravali2027005080096100
North Guj.2034600
Kutch7335003530052700
Surendranagar62100070100105600
Rajkot536300708001123
Jamnagar366200120100137100
Porbandar1109003110054900
Junagadh358700119700187200
Amreli53820091000100600
Bhavnagar45470094000107500
Morbi3470004850068800
Botad199700880125000
Somnath21700073100101500
Dwarka2296002280029600
Saurashtra3979300
Gujarat Cool989150013297001977800

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