Farmers want govt to allow old notes for fertiliser buy

Government should allow the farming community to use old 500 and 1,000 notes to purchase fertiliser and pesticides as well in the ongoing rabi season, says a group of farmers who hailed the decision to allow purchase of seeds using Rs 500 notes.
These farmers were here in the national capital to attend the government's event to commemorate the World Fisheries Day. The conference was inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
"I have used last year's wheat seeds for sowing this time. I have sown the seeds. Now, I need cash to buy fertilisers and pesticides. I wish the government had allowed use of old notes to buy these inputs," 65 year-old farmer Vikram Singh from Faridabad in Haryana told PTI when asked to comment on the government's decision to allow old Rs 500 notes for seeds purchase from any state or central government outlets and agri universities.

Singh, who is cultivating wheat and jowar in 3 acres, has also taken up fishery to supplement his income.
"Most farmers save seeds every year and there is no problem in the availability. I hope the situation will improve in coming days as we start to use fertilisers, pesticides and other farm inputs for crop growth," he said.
Echoing his views, 40 year-old farmer Brijmohan Kashyap from Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh said: "I have enough seeds. I have yet to start sowing of wheat and bajra in two acres of my land. My worry is about fertilisers."

Although farmers are allowed to withdraw up to Rs 25,000 per week from their bank accounts, the "inconvenient part is that we have to stand in the queue in the morning at 5 am to get that cash".

Despite the inconvenience, Kashyap and many farmers who attended the event hailed the government's move on demonetisation and hoped the rabi crop will not get affected.
When contacted, Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman Ajay Viir Jakhar said: "Something has been allowed though this is not enough. We have already told the government to allow old notes for fertilisers."
He expects the government to soon allow this for fertiliser purchase as well.
Singh did not reply when asked if the government will consider allowing old notes for buying fertilisers.
Sowing of rabi crops is under way and farmers have sown wheat in 79.4 lakh hectares till last week.

Besides farmers, PTI spoke to several fishermen and their cooperative societies at the event, who said the situation is bad as prices of marine fishes have come down drastically.
"Fish prices have come down by 50 per cent in Mumbai. Since fish is perishable commodity, fishermen could not keep the stock. They sold in the market at lower price and even got cash in old notes," Karanja Macchimar VKS Society Director Ganesh B Nakhawa said on the sidelines of the event.
Fishermen are exempted from tax, but still they are worried about depositing in the bank. "Fisher women save in cash and their savings now could be in thousands. They are now worried to deposit," he said.

Karanja Macchimar VKS Society is the country's largest marine fish society which has 400 fishing boats with 6,000 shareholders.