Shillai (HP), Nov 25 : Ginger farmers in Himachal Pradesh have demanded that the State Government should fix minimum support price for their crop.

Shillai area in Sirmaur district is famous for producing good varieties of ginger.

Ginger farmers have alleged apathy of the State Government towards them despite their crop fetching valuable foreign exchange from overseas markets.

"There is a huge demand for our ginger in the markets in Pakistan. Our crops are attacked by saran rog (soft rot or rhizome rot disease) and the government is not concerned about it. They must provide us with all necessary pesticides and minimum support price for our crops," said Kapil, a farmer.

"Our lives depend on ginger crop, as it is our primary cash crop. But the government is neglecting us. In the upper Shimla region, the government is providing minimum support rates, subsidies and other assistance to the apple and potato farmers. But, we are neither provided with subsidies and seeds, nor with the minimum support rate for our crops," said Ashok Kumar, another farmer.

A majority of people in Himachal depends on earnings from the cultivation of cash crops like apple, ginger, potato, and various fruits and vegetables. (ANI)