The Arunachal Pradesh Mahila Congress (APMCC) on Monday inaugurated the chain of ‘Shelter Festival’ starting with Ngudang-Juha to Parang village under Sagalee Assembly constituency.
The festival, to celebrate the harvesting of the first fruit, underlines the hardship that women undertake in the field.
“The country talks about farmers feeding the people of the nation but does the nation ever think of making provisions and giving subsidies to women farmers? A total of 33% of invisible women cultivators and 47% of women agricultural labourers are behind millions of tonnes of agricultural production. It is time for the government to acknowledge and recognise the role of women in agriculture,” APMCC president Nabam Yakum said.
Exhorting the women and public in general, AICC general secretary and APMCC in-charge Kim S Haokip said that women need to create a platform from where they can share their farming knowledge and shape their ideas on farming technologies.
Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) spokesperson Mina Toko said that women farmers are not given equal access to resources and technical assistance compared to their male counterparts.
“There is a vast gender disparity in agriculture. Many women labourers are unpaid and victims of economic exploitation. In fact, women and young girls are trafficked for labour exploitation. Today these are the pervasive issues we the women need to take up,” Toko said.
APMCC vice presidents Yam Tok and Mai Modi, general secretaries Chukhu Nachi and Dakghe Lomri also spoke on the connection between women and farming.
Apart from inaugurating the Shelter Festival at Sagalee, the APMCC hoisted the Mahila Congress flag at Parang, Nyapin-Koloriang and Ziro as a part of their second phase of political tour.