Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was addressing a rally couple of kilometres from Maani Mau village at the outskirt of Kannauj city but around a dozen family members of laxmi Kant Kushweaha were working at a frenzy pace digging out potatoes. All of them knew about Akhilesh’s election meeting but were not eager to join that.
“If we go to election rally who will do this work,” laksmi Kant, the head of the family who was supervising the work said.”
For us harvesting potatoes is more important than attending election rally, he said.
As one drives down Kannauj — Etawah belt it is common site to see people sitting on their haunches are working at a frantic pace digging up potatoes. This is a potato belt and it is the only cash crop for the villagers of this area.
“A delay in harvesting potato could land us in trouble. If these are exposed to sun, potatoes turn dark and is no longer usable,” laksmi Kant said.
“Election can wait but not harvesting of potato,” he said. “We need to sow maize next. The time is running out very fast. We know election is on February 19. We will go and cast vote,” laxmi said.
Potato has always been a political issue in this belt which spreads from Budaun to Farrukhabad and from Etawah to Etah. If sugarcane is precious for farmers of western Uttar Pradesh, for central UP potato is a prized commodity for the farmers of central Uttar Pradesh.
Nishant Kushwaha, who was digging potatoes, is doing post-graduation from Agra University and he is more vocal when it comes to talking about farmers’ plight. “During election campaign all the political parties talk about solving potato growers’ problems. Has anyone done anythingIJ Akhilesh Yadav was MP from here three times. Has he done anythingIJ In last elections Akhilesh had said a vodka factory would be set up here. Five years have gone by but nothing happened. This time too he will say something,” he said.
Farmers want setting up of agri-based industry in the region. “A potato manufacturing unit or distillery manufacturing vodka could transform people’s life in no time. In open market chips made of one potato are sold at the rate of Rs 10 per packet while we are selling potato at less than a rupee per kg,” said farmer Mahesh Katiyar.
“At this time the market is low because of abundance of potatoes. We have to keep them in cold storage. We have to pay rent that varies from Rs 5 per sack to Rs 10 per sack. If because of some unseen reason potato rots the farmer has to bear loss,” said Anurag Dixit.