It is extremely hard for a farmer to remain motivated if after all the hard work his agricultural produce is acquiring constant losses.?But a farmer from Maharashtra thought of a very tactical idea to turn his losses into gains.?
A farmer named Anil Patil from Solapur in Maharashtra has approached the district administration seeking permission to grow cannabis plants on his farm, saying that it fetches a good rate in the market and claimed there is no fixed price for any agricultural produce, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Yes, he actually wrote that in his application.?
However, the district administration didn't want to handle this and forwarded the farmer's application to the police, who termed it as a "publicity stunt".?In his application sent to the Solapur district collector on Wednesday, Anil said there was no fixed price (MSP) for any crop and hence, the agriculture business was running into losses.??
"As agriculture produce fetches a pittance, farming is turning out to be difficult. Even the input cost of cultivation of any crop is not recovered. The dues of sugarcane sold to sugar factories are unpaid," he said in the plea.??
He also claimed that there is a good price for cannabis in the market and sought permission to cultivate it on his two-acre land.??
He also asked the district administration to give him permission by September 15 to grow ganja (cannabis) plants on his farmland, failing which he would start the cultivation from September 16, presuming that he has been given the nod for it.
In his application, he pointed out, "If any offence is registered against me for ganja cultivation, the administration will be responsible."??
However, Mohol police station's senior inspector Ashok Saykar said the farmer's application was just a way to gain attention and publicity.?
"If he resorts to such an act (cultivating ganja), we will register an offence against him," he said.??
The cultivation of cannabis, also known as marijuana, is prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.?
A person will face imprisonment for six months and/or a fine of Rs.10,000 if caught consuming or growing cannabis. Under NDPS, consuming bhang is not illegal but several states (through excise laws) prohibit the use of cannabis leaves or drinking bhang.