Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): In order to address the concerns of opium farmers, MP Sudhir Gupta met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. The discussion focused on various demands aimed at providing justice to farmers affected by the current regulations under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The MP emphasised that opium farmers, who became ineligible for licence after 1995-96 without any criminal background should be granted licence. This would allow many farmers to return to legal cultivation. He proposed lowering the morphine average requirement from 5.9 to 3.5, which would make it easier for farmers to qualify for licence.
To combat corruption, Gupta called for the online publication of opium licence distribution dates and weighing processes, allowing farmers to access this information easily. The farmers, whose opium yield is deemed low, should have the right to have their opium samples tested independently, ensuring fairness in the evaluation process.
He urged that farmers whose licence were cancelled due to departmental negligence or theft should be reinstated, allowing them to participate in the opium cultivation process once again. Gupta highlighted the disparity between the increasing minimum support price (MSP) and stagnant opium prices, urging the government to consider a price hike to support farmers. A crucial part of the discussion was the need to amend sections 08/18 and 08/29 of the NDPS Act to provide justice to farmers, who have been wrongfully penalised.
