Malhargarh (Madhya Pradesh): In Malhargarh tehsil, the soybean crop is facing a severe crisis due to the infestation of caterpillars and yellow mosaics, forcing farmers to sell their crops at low prices.
The lack of rainfall has exacerbated the problem, with many farmers resorting to destroying their standing crops. Three such cases have been reported in the district, making headlines in the media. A team of Congress leaders, including block president Anil Sharma, mandal president Dinesh Gupta and district Congress secretary Kishanlal Chauhan, visited affected villages and met with farmers.
They expressed their concerns about the declining prices of soybeans, which have fallen below the minimum support price (MSP). Compared to last year, soybean prices are 15% lower.
Farmers Bharat Solanki and Nathulal Patidar lamented that farming has become a loss-making business, with crops often destroyed by pests or natural calamities.
They demanded a support price of Rs 8,000 for soybeans, citing the government's data that soybean acreage has increased to 125.11 lakh hectares this year. The Congress leaders criticised the government's failure to fulfil its promise of doubling farmers' income by 2022. Instead, inflation has increased fourfold, affecting the poor, labourers and middle class. They urged the government to take immediate action to address the soybean crop crisis and provide relief to farmers.
