Kisan Rail benefits elude North East India

North East Indian states continue to be neglected by the government, especially when it comes to making the people of these states economically strong.

The Union Government had announced the launch of Kisan Rail, last July, to enable transport of fruits and vegetables by rail to different parts of the country, at subsidised tariff. A 50 per cent tariff subsidy is given on transport of fruits and vegetables, under the scheme. The Kisan Rail scheme is meant for perishable products, leaving out other major farm produce of North East India.

Producers of tea, bamboo, rubber betel-nut, turmeric, black pepper, mustard and soyabean, among other products have been requesting that their products should be allowed to be transported by Kisan Rail, at subsidised tariff.

Ironically, while Indian Railway seems willing to include these products, the Ministry of Food Processing and Industries (MoFPI) has refused to give assent to the Railway’s proposal to include seven major items — tea leaves, bamboo, rubber, betel nut, black pepper, mustard, and soyabean — under “Operation Greens-TOP to Total”.

“…there is a significant demand to transport tea leaves from the tea gardens of Upper Assam, bamboo, rubber, betel-nut, turmeric (raw), black pepper, mustard, soyabean, and mandarin from the North Eastern region of the country. Hence, it is requested that it may please be confirmed that the benefits of subsidy under Operation Greens- TOP to Total scheme can be extended,” the letter from Railways to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) stated.

According to official data, 240-odd trips of Kisan Rail on 31 routes have transported agriculture produce between several areas in the country. While several Kisan Rail trains originating from Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, among other states, have transported farm produce to the North East, no such train has originated from the region to other parts of the country.

In response, only turmeric and mandarin — a citrus fruit — from the list of proposed items have been included in the subsidy scheme.

Even the Northeast Frontier Railway had requested that products like bamboo be included as an agriculture produce to be transported through the Kisan Rail scheme.

While the Kisan Rail, launched in July last year, has transported over 80,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables so far from various parts of the country to bigger markets, it has not been able to take unique products of the North east to elsewhere in India.

Without the subsidy, talks with various local stakeholders like farmers, aggregators, and agents to offer price incentives at a zonal level have so far not been fruitful.

As a result of the denial of Kisan Rail scheme to this region, its products are transported by road to other parts of the country, which is expensive.