Bhubaneswar, Dec 10: Yesterday Finance minister Pradip Amat expressed concern over farmers not getting enough cash for rabi crop due to the demonetization move. During the Assembly session he said that Odisha is facing an acute shortage of Rs 100 and Rs 500 notes since Nov 8 midnight. Banks are also getting just one-third of the cash needed. The economy of the state is disastrous now and especially it’s the farmers and small traders who have been severely affected.
He also sated the fact that the government has tackled every post demonetization issue on a regular basis, exampling that the Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik has raised the issue of cash shortage in cooperative banks with PM, Narendra Modi. Amat’s reply came after the Congress members disrupted the assembly proceedings over growing inconvenience to people over demonetisation in the state forcing repeated adjournments while BJD members also raised the issue. Yesterday during the zero hour, Congress chief whip, Tara Prasad Bahinipati pointed out that farmers were forced to throw tomatoes at a weekly market in Bargarh on Thursday because there were no buyers due to severe cash shortage. Similarly, at another market in Koraput, brinjals were thrown by the farmers. Since the wholesalers are reluctant to transport vegetables, the prices have fallen rigorously. While tomato is being sold at Re 1 to Rs 2 by the farmers, brinjal is being sold at less than Rs 5. Even at such low prices, the vegetables remain unsold.
