Singur's agricultural status

Few days back 'nasaki' raised the following point in response to 'Singur
stalemate' post.

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"lot of talks were done before the factory is halted. like fertile land
given to tata and so on. i sincerely want to know what crops did WB were 
growing and is popular for. because punjab is famous for wheat, 
maharashtra for grams and andhra for chilly cotton and rice. 

I havent found any cash or other crops as far as i have travelled or 
heard about. i wish somebody look into facts and figures so that we know 
if mamta deserves anything."
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In response to that I attempted to support the agricultural richness of
Singur through online sources. I have pasted below the information I
could gather on this front. With two rivers (Hoogly and Damodar)  flowing
through the district of Hoogly (under which Singur comes) Singur is
naturally well supported for agriculture. I am further convinced that
Singur should not be touched for industrial purposes. Please leave your
views / comments after checking the following links.

From WB state marketing board web site - Stat pertaining to
Hooghly district agri produce  (Click on the link)


From  Singur: A Report by Amitadyuti Kumar


"The famous Ratanpur potato market is in Singur. One of the biggest
Multipurpose Cold storages of the state, meant for storing vegetables
as well as potato is situated in the area. As the fury of flood has been
tamed to a certain extent, the farmers  have been making a modest
earning thanks to the harmonious blend of fertile loamy soil and labour.
Besides paddy and jute, potato and vegetables are the  main cash
crops here. Even the young graduates or the masters of these poor
and the middle class families have engaged themselves in farming
once the prospect of getting a JOB proves to be an illusion.

Because of improved farming techniques, application of fertilizers
and pesticides, Singur two-thirds of Singur flood plain has by and
large become a multi-crop land.

According to the statistics provided in a state government booklet
the block uses a whopping 10, 001metric tonnes of fertilisers and
3061.5 metric tonnes of insecticides and other plant medicines
every year. To cater the needs there are 303 agricultural inputs
trading centers in the Block, whose 83% (8830 Hectares out of
10,526 Hectares agricultural land) is irrigated. The crop density of
the Block is 220%, a step higher than the district average of  215%."

From the article Why is the Left giving up Singur's arable land
for Tata's cars?

"There is no need to consult the state agriculture department's
statistics or 1970 land reports to find out that Singur is agriculturally
rich. It is enough to just take a walk through the area. Apart from
paddy, potatoes and many other kinds of vegetables are
grown in this green stretch. Farmers in Singur say they grow
not just two or three crops in a year, but six or seven. It is
because this land is so rich that farmers are resisting the
acquisition of land for a factory.If most people in Singur are
engaged in non-agricultural work, do fairies till the land to grow six
crops a year?"

From an online petition
10. We also draw your attention to a vitally important research,
which your government seems to have ignored. The Geological
Survey of India, on request from the West Bengal state irrigation
department, conducted a survey of the Bhagirathi-Damodar region in
1987-88. The Report shows that the retention of Singur as an
agricultural area is crucial for the ecology of the entire region east of
the Damodar.