Farmers said contractors in Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa and Makawanpur, had been illegally levying huge money in the name of export tax while transporting fruits. [break]
“Some goons mobilized by contractors are collecting money from farmers by erecting barriers on the Highways, in the name of export tax which has already been removed by the government a year earlier,” said Nabin Dahal, a member of Godawari Farmers Group in Dulari-Sundarpur of Morang district.
According to Dahal, contractors are extracting money ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 1200 per barrier from farmers and threatening lives of those who fail to pay the sum.
President of the Godawari Farmers Group Khoj Bahadur Karki also said traders have to pay one-third of their income to the contractors while ferrying the fruits to the market.
Farmers have blamed that local police are working in complicity of the goons mobilized who are used by contractors to illegally collect money from farmers. Mostly banana producing farmers are those who suffered the most in forceful tax collection by contractors.
Morang which produces annually 96,000 tons of banana, has been supplying mainly Malbok, green Jahari and Singaporean varieties of banana to big cities including capital, Pokhara, Bhairawa and Butwal.
The inflicted farmers have submitted a memorandum to Tara Nath Gautam, Chief District Officer of Morang demanding the immediate end to illegal collection money in the name of export tax. “Our attention has been drawn to the concerns voiced by farmers. I will take initiative to bring the tax collection spree on fruits export to an end by requesting to the Home Ministry,” said Gautam.
Surendra Bahadur Shah, chief of Easter Regional Police Office said the office circulated an instruction to all police units to act immediately to control the illegal collection of money from the farmers by contractors. However, Saurav Rana, district police chief of Sunsari, express ignorance about the rampant collection of tax from fruits farmers.
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