Unable to get a good price for their cultivation of poppy seeds because of its import from Turkey, the farmers of Malwa and Mewar region have taken up the issue with higher-ups seeking help to end their woes.
Poppy seeds, popularly known as 'khus-khus', are primarily used for value addition in food gravies and for its medicinal properties.
"Farmers and businessmen have raised the issue before me and I have referred the matter to Union Finance and Commerce Ministries. Their demand is justified that they are getting less prices due to the import of the poppy seeds," Congress MP Meenakshi Natrajan told PTI.
"I have presented these facts before the ministries and I am hopeful that action will be taken, particularly due to the fact that Afghanistan has a direct involvement in poppy seed trade through Turkey, which is completely illegal as Afghanistan does not grow opium legally," Natrajan said.
The ministries will go in depth of the matter and act accordingly, she said. India is the largest cultivator of opium poppies on legal parameters, with regions like Malwa in Madhya Pradesh and Mewar in Rajasthan being the main producers, Bhartiya Kisan Morcha state president Banshilal Gurjar said.
"Geographically also, Malwa and Mewar are linked together and around 50,000 farmers of the two regions have suffered badly due to the import and illegal sale of poppy seeds from foreign countries," he said.
Poppy seed or 'khus-khus' is the last product of poppy straw crop. A farmer is legally bound to sell opium at a price determined by the government, Gurjar said.
Earlier, the price of poppy seeds was in a range of Rs 800 850 per kg but now due to the import from Turkey and its illegal selling, it has come down to about Rs 300 per kg, causing lot of hardships to its growers, he said.
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