Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 25 November 2021
The protest of the farmers at Campbell Bay has entered the 4th day on 25th of November 2021. The demand of the farmers to start the procurement of copra on Minimum Support Price has not been met yet.
The farmers are continuing with their peaceful protest and on 25th of November 2021 the farmers took out a procession from their protest site near fish market in Main Bazaar Campbell Bay. The procession of the farmers stopped at the gate of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office and shouted slogans demanding procurement of Copra on MSP.
The procession then proceeded to Zero Point before turning back to their protest site. The protesting farmers are getting impatient as they are not getting any positive reply from the Administration.
The protesting farmers informed Nicobar Times that it seems that the administration doesn’t care about the plight of the farmers. They added that no one from the Administration except for Tehsildar, Campbell Bay visited or spoke to them and now they intend to take their protest to the next level.
The General Secretary of Great Nicobar Farmers Association, Mr. Rajan Singh informed Nicobar Times that from 26 November 2021, no agricultural produce will be supplied to the market in Great Nicobar. Milk, vegetables etc. will not be sold to the traders by the farmers of Great Nicobar.
Mr. Rajan Singh further informed that the association has spoken to the traders of vegetables and shop owners and everyone has agreed to block the supply of perishables.
The price of vegetables will shoot up from 26th November 2021 at Campbell Bay and because all supply will be blocked, the market will soon go dry.
Some agitated members of the protesting farmers also informed Nicobar Times that the association is also considering beefing up the protest through other modes. When Nicobar Times questioned them on what will be the steps to beef up the protests, the farmers informed that it will be decided with consensus.
The general public will face a lot of issues because of the blocking of the supply of perishables by the farmers of Great Nicobar from 26th of November 2021.
The farmers have also written a heartfelt letter to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare explaining their plight to them.
The majority of the members of the farmer’s community of Great Nicobar belongs to the Ex-Servicemen Settler Families, settled in Great Nicobar under the Accelerated Development Programme of the Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation.
These Ex-Servicemen Settler families were given agricultural land for cultivation but were not provided with the support required to sell their produce even after five decades of their settlement.
The plight of the farmers is such that even the MSP which has been implemented for procuring of copra by the Govt. of India, is not being extended to them.
All major political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress are supporting the farmers.
The farmers of Great Nicobar under the banner of the Great Nicobar Farmers Association are determined to not accept anything short of starting the procurement of Copra on MSP and also establishment of a permanent procurement centre for Copra in Great Nicobar.