Maharashtra farmers also have high expectations from Budget 2024.
Maharashtra farmers also have high expectations from Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2024. Especially sugarcane, cotton and soybean farmers. The number of farmers cultivating these three crops in Maharashtra is around 56 lakh. As it is an election year, it is being said that farmers cultivating these three crops will get a certain gift from the Finance Minister.
Marathwadi and Vidarbha are farmer-dominated areas, where the NDA alliance suffered losses in the recent Lok Sabha elections. It is being said that the government can take a big decision in the budget to overcome these issues.
What can soybean farmers expect?
Soybean is the major kharif crop in Maharashtra and more than 40 lakh farmers cultivate it in the state. According to the Maharashtra government, soybean is cultivated in 40 lakh hectares in the state. These farmers have high expectations from the Union Budget in an election year.
MSP is the biggest demand of soybean farmers. Farmers say the government should buy their crops at the minimum support price with a guarantee. The minimum support price of soybeans in Maharashtra this year was Rs 4,600 per quintal, which farmers protested.
Farmers said that this price does not even cover the expenses. Farmers say that considering the cost, the price of soybean should be at least Rs 6 thousand per quintal.
This is the demand of cotton farmers
Maharashtra has about 7 lakh cotton farmers and Maharashtra accounts for 27.10 percent of the total cotton produced in the country. According to the Maharashtra government, in the year 2023-24, cotton was planted in an area of ​​42.34 lakh hectares in the state. It is extensively cultivated in Maharashtra around the border of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Cotton farmers have two big expectations from this budget. 1. Seeds should be easily available at low prices 2. Crop prices should be reasonable and there should be a guarantee of purchase. Long queues were formed in front of cooperative shops in many districts. Farmers had to work hard to get its seeds.
At the same time, the price of the crop after it is ready is also a big problem. The average price of cotton is Rs.6 thousand per quintal. Farmers of Maharashtra say that its price should be at least around 8 thousand rupees, only then there will be no loss in agriculture.
Sugarcane farmers also have hope from the budget
Sugarcane is cultivated on a large scale in Maharashtra. Marathwada here is famous for sugarcane cultivation. Out of 1.52 crore farmers in Maharashtra, 6 percent i.e. about 9 lakh farmers cultivate sugarcane. Sugarcane is used for sugar production. According to Indian Sugar Mills, this year saw a record production of sugar from crushed sugarcane.
According to the data, Maharashtra has produced a record 132.6 lakh tonnes of sugar so far this year, while sugarcane crushing is still ongoing. Maharashtra is at the forefront of sugarcane production.
Sugarcane farmers have two expectations from the government’s budget this time. The first hope is to raise prices. At present sugarcane is being bought at Rs 340 per quintal in the country. Farmers protested about this.
Another major demand of sugarcane farmers is prompt payment. Generally, after buying sugarcane, mill owners do not pay till crushing.
What do pastoralists want from the budget?
On one hand, farmers have a lot of demand from this budget, on the other hand, animal husbandry also have high expectations from this budget. According to the central government, about 40 lakh cattle farmers raise milk producing animals in Maharashtra.
Cattle farmers in Maharashtra have been demanding an increase in milk prices for a long time. Recently, the Maharashtra government has announced a subsidy of Rs 5 per liter to milk farmers, but farmers say it is insufficient.
Farmers are demanding that prices be re-fixed and subsidies increased. Now it remains to be seen what gift the government gives to these herdsmen in the budget.
