Farmers accuse govt of failing to ensure fair potato prices in Bokakhat

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: After farmers in Sadiya launched strong protests on the streets against being deprived of fair prices for their potatoes due to continuous import of potatoes from outside the state, strong reactions have now emerged among farmers of Bokakhat, the home constituency of Agriculture Minister Atul Bora.

Farmers of Bokakhat have expressed concern over whether they too will suffer the same fate as the farmers of Sadiya. A large number of farmers in Bokakhat have invested their hard-earned money to cultivate potatoes by purchasing seeds at very high prices. Meanwhile, allegations have been raised that the Agriculture Department under Minister Atul Bora has not provided the expected support to potato farmers in Bokakhat. Instead, some farmers have received fertilizers, seeds, etc. only through the Social Development Fund of the Numaligarh Refinery.

In this context, farmers who have taken loans from microfinance institutions and other sources to invest in potato and other crops fear that the agriculture minister may once again fail to ensure fair prices for potatoes. This concern has been voiced particularly by farmers engaged in large-scale potato cultivation. Farmers from a large part of Numaligarh in Bokakhat, including areas such as Dhodang, Kuruwabahi, Boraikhua, and Jognia, have cultivated potatoes on more than 1,500 bighas of land. Most of these farmers have independently arranged seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs at high costs.

Speaking on the issue, Mantu Saikia, an ideal farmer from Kuruwabahi–Jognia village, expressed solidarity with the farmers of Sadiya and said, “As a farmer, I support the protesting stance of the Sadiya farmers. Over the past years, the government’s slogan ‘Our Field, Our Market’ has not been implemented in reality. Most of us farmers have purchased seed potatoes at prices exceeding Rs 60–70. Ironically, in the very constituency of the agriculture minister who speaks loudly about a developed economy, the conditions of farmers are pathetic. In the past, we had to dump quintals of potatoes due to the lack of fair prices, and we did not receive any compensation either. If this time too, farmers in the agriculture minister’s constituency face a situation like Sadiya, the ruin of farmers will be inevitable.”

The farmer further demanded that Bora immediately stop the import of potatoes from outside the state and ensure fair prices for local potato farmers. He also called upon the farmers of Bokakhat to unite and launch organized protests. Meanwhile, strong reactions have also emerged among potato farmers of Chinakan village, which was devastated by three floods in 2025. As farmers could not benefit much from paddy cultivation due to floods, they have undertaken large-scale cultivation of pumpkin, mustard, and potatoes this year. Like others, these farmers too purchased seeds at high prices on their own initiative. If they fail to get fair prices for potatoes like the farmers of Sadiya, they are certain to face heavy losses.

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