Shillong: Meghalaya farmers are handing out their crops for free. Wholesale cabbage prices collapsed to Rs 2 per kg, well below the Rs 10 per kg production cost. The Hills Farmers’ Union held a protest Thursday at the State Central Library in Shillong. They dumped six tonnes of cabbage, brought in three pickup trucks from Mawpyrshong, Thynroit, Mawlali, Thangsning, and Smit. Locals gathered to collect the produce and talk to growers.
Farmers are bleeding money. A standard harvest of 6,000 kg on 100 terraces costs Rs 60,000 to grow. At current rates, farmers pull in only Rs 12,000, leaving a Rs 48,000 deficit. Costs include seeds, fertiliser, pesticides, labour, and transport. These losses prevent growers from paying off agricultural loans or covering household bills like school fees. HFU general secretary Alfondbirth Kharsyntiew highlighted the retail disparity. "When farmers receive only Rs 2 per kg, there is no point in selling because it does not even cover the cost of cultivation," he said.
The union demands a floor price of Rs 11 per kg. HFU president Commander Shangpliang urged the government to establish a committee to track production costs. They want a Market Intervention Scheme where the state covers the difference between input costs and market rates. The union previously discussed this during the Meghalaya Farmers’ Parliament and met with East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal on Wednesday. They seek a Minimum Input Price based on actual expenses.
The protest received backing from the Voice of the People Party Youth Wing and Women’s Wing. The union plans to meet soon to plot their next move. "We would rather give the vegetables away than sell them at prices that only deepen our losses," one grower said. Farmers remain desperate for regulation to stop the rot.
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