The Kisan Sabha that is observing its 40th foundation year on Sunday announced its J&K committee while highlighting the issues of farmers.

Addressing a press conference, its president HC Jalmeria said the government should provide integrated facilities to farmers for their production, marketing, and procurement while ensuring profitable prices to farmers for all their products. He said the farmers faced uncertainties and suffered losses despite the hard work They were exploited by private business houses.

“Farmers comprise 75 percent population in India; agriculture is their main source of livelihood. A major part of the budget should be spent on farmers’ all-round development,” said Jalmeria.

He said farming requires irrigation water and there was an insufficient supply of it in Jammu and Kashmir, most of the area being Kandi and Pahari. Construction of check dams, talabs and some other schemes for the conservation of water for irrigation are required to be undertaken.

“The rearing of cattle, poultry, sheep, and goat is an integrated part of the farming community, which needs to be strengthened and encouraged. Besides, a wrong policy pursued encouraging the usage of chemical fertilizers, hybrid seeds and pesticides has spoilt the fertility of the soil, eliminated many varieties of local seed, made the soil poisonous resulting in health hazards,” said the Kisan Sabha president.

The president also said that agricultural land is being fast converted into non-agricultural purposes like making banquet halls, shopping malls, colonies and flats which has great potential for creating a food crisis in the near future. The Kisan Sabha also appealed to the government to provide security to farmers who suffer losses due to firing on borders, natural calamities like hailstorms, heavy rains, draughts, etc.