Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 21 November 2021
Great Nicobar Farmers Association has called for Campbell Bay Bandh on 22nd November 2021 to press for their demand of procurement of Copra on Minimum Support Price (as notified by the Govt.) from the farmers of Great Nicobar.
The farmers will block the roads of Campbell Bay on 22nd November from 9:00 Am to 5:00 Pm and thereafter they will hold an indefinite peaceful protest near the Fisheries Market in the main bazaar area.
Great Nicobar Farmers Association has been very patient with their demand and has written 12 letters to the authority to start the procurement of Copra at MSP from the farmers.
The farmers are also demanding to hike the price of the coconuts to Rs. 25/- per nut.
In their letter addressed to the Assistant Commissioner dated 13th November 2021 wrote that they are hopeful that the Administration will start procuring copra on MSP by the deadline of 21st of November 2021.
Speaking to Nicobar Times, Mr. Rajan Singh, General Secretary, Great Nicobar Farmers Association informed that the association has been taking up the issue of procurement of Copra on MSP with the officials of the Administration for a very long time. He added that the farmers have been very patient with their demands but the Administration has not taken their issue seriously.
According to the sources the movement of all Private Vehicles and Govt. Vehicles will be stopped by the farmers during the Chakka Jam, but they will allow emergency vehicles and vehicles of the defence establishments to pass through.
Some members of the Association while speaking to Nicobar Times informed that they do not expect the issue to be solved by the administration tomorrow, hence they are prepared for a long indefinite dharna.
The main crop of the farmers of Great Nicobar is copra and they are not getting the proper price of their produce. The farmers who spoke to Nicobar Times informed that ANCOFED (Andaman and Nicobar Cooperative Supply & Marketing Federation Ltd.) is the agency responsible for procurement of copra from the farmers but the agency is not doing so.
Nicobar Times also spoke to the authorities of ANCOFED who informed that the NAFED has not released some funds to ANCOFED, sighting non-receipt of funds from the Govt. of India and which is why the procurement of copra on MSP is on hold.
The authorities at ANCOFED also informed Nicobar Times that they have suggested an alternative remedy for procurement of copra from the farmers to the Administration and that the Administration should implement it.
No definitive timeline was given by the authorities of ANCOFED to start the procurement of copra on MSP from the farmers of Great Nicobar. Nicobar Times was further informed that the problem is not limited to Great Nicobar but the procurement of copra on MSP is on hold in the entire UT.