[ Bengia Ajum ]
WAKRO, 2 Aug: The farmers of Wakro circle in Lohit district are facing difficulty in selling their agricultural produce, in particular pumpkins, due to tussle among buyers.
Wakro area is known for producing pumpkins on a large scale every year, and the buyers come from places like Karimganj, Shillong, Tezpur, Jorhat, and Guwahati. This year, due to the flood, a large number of pumpkin fields were damaged, because of which prices have shot up.
The buyers from neighbouring Tinsukia district of Assam have created trouble for the local farmers by stopping the buyers from Karimganj, Shillong, Tezpur, Jorhat, and Guwahati from buying the pumpkins at a high rate.
“The buyers from Kakopathar area want to buy pumpkins cheaply in comparison to our regular buyers from faraway places. Due to this, they are not allowing buyers from Karimganj, Shillong, Tezpur, Jorhat, and Guwahati to enter Wakro. They have blocked the road near the Dirak gate on the Assam side and do not allow vehicles belonging to buyers to enter Arunachal. This has been happening for the last 18 days,” informed Solen Rangmang, chairman of the Wakro unit of the Cultural and Literary Society of Mishmi (CALSOM).
As the farmers cannot sell their produce due to the blockade, the pumpkins are getting damaged. “As the buyers cannot come, the pumpkins are getting damaged. This is causing massive losses to the farmers. We have already apprised the Wakro ADC and the Lohit DC of the matter,” said Rangmang.
The DCs of Lohit and Namsai have written to their Tinsukia counterpart to look into the matter. “The Tinsukia DC assured us that the blockade would be lifted and buyers would be allowed to enter. But till now the situation remains the same,” he added.
The Wakro CALSOM unit, on behalf of the local farmers,has urged the state government to immediately intervene in the matter. “We appeal to the government of Arunachal to take up this matter with its Assam counterpart. An amicable solution should be worked out urgently. The delay is causing massive losses to the local farmers,” said Rangmang.
Further, he urged the state government to devise a long-term plan to tackle such issues, so that the farmers of Arunachal do not suffer due to the bullying tactics of buyers from nearby districts of Assam.
