Disappointed by the hollow promises by a company that encouraged them to cultivate figs on a contractual basis, hundreds of farmers in Rajasthan are now destroying their orchards.

A resident of Netewala village in Sri Ganganagar district, farmer Dalip Godara had high hopes when he planted a fig orchard on a bigha (quarter of an hectare) of land. He expected that fig production would prove profitable for him, but recently he resorted to uprooting the fig plants.

Similarly, JP Suthar from the village of Pefana in Hanumangarh district planted fig saplings on two bighas of land. He was excited about the prospect of cultivating a new crop, but he too has uprooted them.

Suthar told Down To Earth (DTE) that the company that encouraged him to plant figs did not fulfill its promises.

“The company seems to have disappeared, and with no one to buy the figs, how long could we keep the plants in the ground? We need to make way for other crops,” he said.

The number of farmers like Godara and Suthar who were allegedly cheated by the company is in the hundreds.

The company promised lucrative prospects to the farmers and entered into 10-year contracts with the farmers but it did not honour any of its agreements, which caused the farmers to lose their patience.

“For one or two years, they purchased figs, but then the company changed its approach,” Suthar said.

Farmers from Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, and Churu in Rajasthan, as well as farmers from Punjab and Haryana bordering Rajasthan, had pinned hopes on fig cultivation.

Bone of contention

Sushil Borad from Sri Ganganagar explained that in early 2018, representatives of a company named ‘Krishi Marketing Company Jhotwara Jaipur’ started contacting farmers in Rajasthan.

The company held farmer conferences at various locations and motivated them to proceed with fig cultivation by outlining its benefits. Initially, the company sold fig plants for Rs 280 each, increasing the price to Rs 300 just a few months later, earning millions from just selling plants.

DTE examined the terms of the company's contracts and found that an agreement regarding the crops was made between the company and the farmers in December 2017.

The contract promised that the company would take responsibility for the care of the plants, addressing diseases, pest issues, harvesting, pruning, and marketing.

Meanwhile, the farmers were tasked with planting, maintaining cleanliness in the fields, securing the plants, and irrigation.

Borad mentioned that the farmers fulfilled their responsibilities diligently, but the company did not meet any of its promises.

“Company representatives never visited the farmers’ fields to inspect the crops. Whenever the farmers tried to call them to their fields, they always evaded,” Borad said.

Dalip Godara recalls being influenced by the company's representatives in 2019 and starting fig cultivation on his one bigha field, planting 300 saplings.

In 2020, he produced six quintals of figs, which the company purchased at Rs 300 per kilogram. In the subsequent year, he harvested 10 quintals, but the purchase price dropped to Rs 150 per kilogram.

In 2022, he produced 12 to 13 quintals, but the company only offered Rs 100 per kilogram.

Eventually, the company began coming up with new excuses.

“Initially, they purchased ripe figs, which weighed more, but later insisted on buying unripe ones. Eventually, they stopped buying altogether and ceased all communication,” the farmer told DTE.

Farmer Harbans Singh from Netewala told DTE that he planted fig saplings in two bighas of his land. The company behaved contrary to what they initially promised. Ultimately, when the company stopped buying figs, he felt it was appropriate to uproot the plants.

Legal action and government's response

So far, a significant number of farmers in the area have uprooted their fig plants, accepting their losses in silence, while many are taking legal action against the company.

It is learnt that some farmers have filed lawsuits against the company, and police are investigating all cases.

The first complaint was filed by Borad in the Kotwali police station on September 12, 2023.

Borad claimed that in 2018, farmers were lured into a conference. He and his brother Vijay Borad paid Rs 3,60,000 to purchase 1,200 plants, which they planted on their agricultural land in the Kalarkheda village of Punjab's Fazilka district.

The company entered into a contract with them for purchasing the harvest. Between 2018 and 2022, their field produced figs worth Rs 11,793,000, of which the company paid them Rs 2,771,750, leaving the rest unpaid. After 2022, the company did not purchase any harvest.

Farmer Ramkumar Bhuwal from Chak 4 C Chhoti in Sri Ganganagar filed a report on September 3, 2024, against the managing director of the Agricultural Marketing Company Jaipur and five others.

In his report, Bhuwal accused them of promising huge profits from fig cultivation. He purchased a total of 300 plants for Rs 84,000 at Rs 280 per plant.

The company made a 10-year contract with him, assuring to buy figs at Rs 300 per kilogram upon harvest. In March 2018, he planted the saplings, and in 2019, he produced 18 quintals and 50 kilograms of figs, valued at over Rs 550,000. However, the company deducted Rs 195,000 and paid him the remaining amount.

In his FIR, the farmer alleged that the company publicised his profitable fig production in newspapers, attracting many farmers to visit his farm.

The company encouraged farmers from Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, and Sirsa districts, as well as Punjab, to plant figs. The company sold plants to about 300 farmers in these areas for Rs 400 each, collecting around Rs 6 crore, and facilitated fig cultivation on approximately 800 bighas of land.

Bhuwal also alleged in the FIR that the company lured him into setting up a fig nursery with promises of commissions and monthly salaries, which cost him about Rs 12 lakhs. The company also launched pearl farming, pomegranate cultivation, and black turmeric farming in 2021, marketing Rs 2.7 billion worth of black turmeric, but subsequently did not purchase any crops. Bhuwal stated that he will continue the legal battle against this fraud.

Similarly, farmer Krishna Kumar Sahu from Sri Ganganagar filed a similar complaint regarding fraud at the Sri Ganganagar police station on August 7, 2024. Sahu alleged that the company issued cheques for fig purchases that bounced. Farmers have filed cases regarding this matter in court.

Meanwhile, the government has deemed the issue as a dispute between the farmers and the company.

Rajendra Nain, an agricultural officer in the Deputy Director's Office of the Horticulture Department in Sri Ganganagar, stated that many farmers planted figs, but it was solely a matter between the company and the farmers.

“The department had no relation to this as there was no research on the potential for fig cultivation in the area,” Nain told DTE.

Simply Put: Fooling the feeders