Shillong: Farmers in Nongthliew, East Khasi Hills, are dumping heaps of unsold radish into their fields. A market crash left them with no way to recover production costs. This disaster follows a similar incident in Smit where cabbage growers gave their produce away for free.
Traders now pay between Rs 2 and Rs 4 per kilogram. This rate barely covers seeds, fertiliser, irrigation, and transport. Growers struggle to pay back loans under these conditions. One farmer stated, "We have no option but to throw away our produce. There is no point in harvesting when the price is so low."
Middlemen hold all the power. They dictate prices regardless of crop quality. Farmers lack alternative markets to sell their goods. Many traders refuse to show up entirely. This forces growers to leave the crops to rot on the land.
Traders also engage in predatory weighing tactics. They deduct one kilogram for every ten purchased. This adds significant losses to an already failing season. Farmers need Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg just to break even. They are now urging the state government to fix market linkages. They demand protection from these constant price crashes. Agriculture remains the only way many of these families can survive.
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