Betel leaf or 'paan' farmers
have urged the West Bengal government to fix a minimum support price for their produce, as the ongoing lockdown has resulted in "huge losses", an official said on Thursday.
Betel leaves are mostly cultivated in South 24 Parganas district, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the output, besides Nadia and Midnapore districts.
"We seek immediate government support to fix a minimum price, as our realisation is far below our costs. The crisis has hit one lakh families associated with the trade," All Bengal Betel Leaf Farmers Samity Secretary Kartik Das told PTI.
'Paan' is widely consumed in India in different fillings as an after-food mouth freshener.
Das said 1,500 pieces of betel leaf are being sold at Rs 200, which is "significantly lower" than normal prices.
"We also demand that the commission should be at par with government-controlled markets -- 5 per cent. In the Kakdip market in South 24 Parganas, we have to pay 9 per cent commission," Das claimed.
He said middlemen were taking advantage of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, leaving farmers in the lurch.
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