It rarely happens. But whenever happens, fairly happens. Two guests invited in same function and sitting together on same dais exchanged notes entirely different on one particular issue in open!
This happened on Sunday, where Ranchi MP Ramtahal Chowdhary and Kanke MlA Dr Jeetu Charan Ram, belonging to the same party, started playing completely different tunes on Soyabean farming in the State. The venue was Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) and occasion was the 36th Founding Day of the University.
In his address to the University professors, agri-scientists and those present there, MlA Ram spoke his heart and shared his experiences about Soyabean farming in the State. “During my visit to one agriculture university in Madhya Pradesh, I came across numbers of hybrid seeds of Soyabean being developed and worked out there. Apart from the way we use to consume Soyabean largely in our kitchen, we can have oil, milk and even Ghee products of Soyabean.”
He said, “Soyabean is a huge source of protein and is being recommended by dieticians across the world. In a State like Jharkhand where malnutrition is on its high, Soya farming must be encouraged as much as possible.
Yet again, it is also a cash crop, which has production cost per acre lesser than many other cereals. BAU must do some research in this regard and promote Soya farming in the way it can. I urge farmers in the State to sow Soyabean seeds for not only the financial health of their own, but also for the health of others.”
Though partially agreeing with Ram on nutritional value of Soyabean, MP Choudhary in his address disagreed completely on the farming side of it. Even he went on an extent of warning farmers not be lured with future gains and to remain confined in their (financial) capabilities.
He suggested, “Soyabean farming is not a good idea at all, especially in a mechanism where farmers are not able to get even the production cost of a number of crops these days. Some farmers in the State had tried to replicate the experience of their counterparts in other States just some time back and they failed miserably. There was a good crop, but no buyer at all, and they couldn’t recover even the production cost of it. So, it would be better to be in limits.”
Choudhary gave the example of onion farmers in some states and said, “The same (temptation) led farmers nowhere in Nasik, where they were left with no other option than to throw the onions on the roads. There was bumper crop, prices fell down to an extent that farmers had to distribute it for free. So, it is better not to sow a crop than to throw it in a bin.”
“Both the views are partially correct,” said Director (Agriculture/SAMETI) Ajay Kumar Singh. He added that Soyabean was not a regular crop in the State except a couple of north eastern districts. But Government was promoting Soya farming heavily at proper platforms.
Singh said that farmers needed to focus on cash crops now. “Government believes that these kinds of crops must be grown on a large scale and soon we will have Soya farmers in more and more districts. Whereas the Minimum Support Price (MSP) is concerned, I think it would definitely be decided by authorities once we have reasonable crop in terms of volume,” Singh said.