West Bengal betel leaf farmers urge govt to fix MSP due to 'huge losses' amid lockdown

Kolkata, Apr 16 () Betel leaf or 'paan' farmershave urged the West Bengal government to fix a minimum supportprice for their produce, as the ongoing lockdown has resultedin "huge losses", an official said on Thursday.

Betel leaves are mostly cultivated in South 24Parganas district, which accounts for over 50 per cent of theoutput, besides Nadia and Midnapore districts.

"We seek immediate government support to fix a minimumprice, as our realisation is far below our costs. The crisishas hit one lakh families associated with the trade," AllBengal Betel Leaf Farmers Samity Secretary Kartik Das told.

'Paan' is widely consumed in India in differentfillings as an after-food mouth freshener.

Das said 1,500 pieces of betel leaf are being sold atRs 200, which is "significantly lower" than normal prices.

"We also demand that the commission should be at parwith government-controlled markets -- 5 per cent. In theKakdip market in South 24 Parganas, we have to pay 9 per centcommission," Das claimed.

He said middlemen were taking advantage of thecoronavirus-induced lockdown, leaving farmers in the lurch. CORR BSMRBT RBT