Agartala, Aug. 4: Largescale illegal cultivation of ganja in Sonamura subdivision of West Tripura has created a major crisis in agriculture — more particularly in the horticultural production in the state, leading to a steep decline in the availability of vegetables in the district.
During the past six decades, Sonamura subdivision had emerged as the “vegetable bowl” of the district because of the massive production of vegetables in the Gomati basin and summer fruits, including banana on tilla (elevated) land. But open hemp cultivation on tilla and vacant lands in the reserve forest area over the past four years has now led to a calamitous fall in horticulture production.
Significantly, despite the open cultivation, state police have not taken any action against the ganja cultivators.
Sources from Sonamura said till 2005, ganja cultivation had been confined to the Madhupur and Kamalasagar areas under Sadar subdivision but since 2006, cultivation has shifted to Boxanagar and large areas of Sonamura.
“Along the 55km Indo-Bangla border in Sonamura subdivision, hardly any tilla land exists where ganja is not cultivated and large quantities of ganja are being exported to Bangladesh or through it to other countries,” the source said.
“The cultivation of ganja is lucrative because 1kg of the product sells for Rs 3,000 in the open market and big businessmen from Agartala and Bishalgarh subdivision have been providing the capital,” the source said. He added that according to a rough estimate, more than 1,500 hectares of land are being used for the purpose in Sonamura subdivision alone.
The situation is such that labourers belonging to below poverty line (BPL) have been refusing to work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme. “The wage for NREGA work is Rs 100 only whereas ganja cultivation work gives Rs 200 each. Naturally they do not want to work under NREGA,” said Sonamura SDO M.K. Dhar.
Apart from this, the mad rush for ganja cultivation has led to a crisis in the availability of fertilisers.
