Assam: Tons of pumpkin rotting in Bokakhat due to lack of market

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: In Bokakhat, the home constituency of Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, pumpkin farmers are facing a dire crisis.

Due to lack of a market and ongoing rains, tons of harvested pumpkins are rotting in the fields. Over the past two years, pumpkin farming had brought promising returns to farmers, which led to a doubling of pumpkin cultivation this year.

Last year, pumpkins worth Rs 6 crore were exported. This year, the target was set to export pumpkins worth Rs 12 crore. However, with fair pricing, it was possible to export at least Rs 20 crore worth of pumpkins outside Assam. But this year, prices dropped drastically. Without receiving appropriate support prices, farmers are helplessly watching their pumpkins go to waste. Many have even started cooking the pumpkins as fodder for cattle.

Young farmer Montu Bora has stockpiled a mountain of pumpkins at his house. Although he has already sold 109 tons, he still has about the same amount stored for sale.

He says that after factoring in the costs of cultivation, transport of the produce from field to road using tractors, and labour wages, selling pumpkins at Rs 4 per kg results in significant losses. Hoping to get at least Rs 5 per kg, he has kept his pumpkins stored under tarpaulin. If he gets a fair price, Montu Bora could earn Rs 5.8 lakh from selling this year’s pumpkins.

According to Montu, middlemen have monopolized the pumpkin market. Certain groups, in coordination with buyers from Lower Assam, are pre-arranging deals to ensure their own profits. Montu laments that the political system in Assam doesn’t allow farmers to thrive. He believes the government fears that if farmers’ conditions improve, they might rise up and challenge the system like in Punjab.

Recently, during a training session in Guwahati, experts suggested that pumpkin juice could be processed and exported. They also mentioned that the peel of the pumpkin could be used in fish and animal feed, and its seeds could be used in pharmaceuticals.

Montu says Assam’s farmers are unaware of such opportunities and only the government can set up the necessary industries. The government must also ensure the creation of markets for the products derived from these industries, he said. Establishing such local industries would significantly benefit local farmers.

Farmer Montu Bora, who has been engaged in agriculture in the Kuruwabahi-Moriyahola region since 1997, acknowledges Minister Atul Bora’s capabilities. However, he also says that regardless of political affiliation, if the farmers of Bokakhat could sit together in a meaningful discussion, the region could be transformed into a hub of advanced agriculture. He believes that in such friendly discussions, many untold truths could be shared directly with the minister.

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