Interstate curfew passes issued to 750 Bihar farmers

Abhay Singh | TNN | Updated: Apr 8, 2020, 07:36 IST

Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi

PATNA: Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said the state government has issued interstate curfew passes to over 750 Bihar farmers so that they can go to Punjab and Haryana to hire drivers and technicians to operate their combined harvesters required for harvesting standing wheat crop.
The harvest season has begun in the state as the westerly winds have picked up pace and weather has also been getting gradually hotter each day.
While the coronavirus outbreak and consequent lockdown has disrupted the harvesting cycle, some farmers have already started getting their wheat harvested with the available agricultural workers, who use their ‘gamchhas’ as mask.
For the last two decades or so, farmers have been using combined harvesters to harvest and winnow matured wheat plants. Some also use ripper-cum-bundler/binder to harvest standing wheat crop.
With the interstate passes issued to the farmers, they would now be able to go to Punjab and Haryana in their own vehicles to bring drivers and technicians, Modi said.
Modi said from this year, arrangements would be made by the government to train local drivers and technicians for operating combined harvesters.