Amidst the ongoing anti-farm law agitation, the government agencies have procured a record-breaking quantity of wheat from the farmers in Punjab
As per reports, a total of 132.08 lac metric tonnes of wheat was purchased by the government authorities in Punjab. As such, about 9 lac farmers received ₹23000 crores directly into their bank accounts. The record purchase of wheat was almost 2 lac metric tonnes higher than the target set by the State. The amount was directly credited to the farmers’ account without the need for intermediaries/middlemen/arhtiyas. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), around 9 lac farmers visited mandis with their crops this year.
The figure was 8.8 lacs last year i.e. an increase of over 20,000 farmers. However, the procurement of wheat has been lower in the Malwa region, where the anti-farm law protests are concentrated. These areas include Sangrur, Muktsar Sahib, Barnala, Moga, Mansa, Fazilka, Faridkot, and Bathinda. Interestingly, an increase in procurement in Doaba and Majha helped to compensate for the low procurement in the Malwa region. It must be mentioned that the procurement was higher this time, despite the low yield.
Due to warm temperature in March, only 49 quintals per hectare of wheat was produced as compared to 50.04 quintals per hectare last year. While speaking about the record procurement, Ravi Bhagat said, “The government has registered farmers on the Anaj Kharid portal and the money was credited into their accounts, not those of arhtiyas… Punjab has also become the first state where the J form that carries the details about the crop a farmer sells to the government is included in the Digilocker. He is not dependent on a middleman for getting the J form”. Bhagat is the Director of Punjab Food Supply and Consumer Affairs.
A farmer named Gurdip Singh from Chak Kalan village said, “I am very happy with this system with money coming directly. I sold my entire crop to government agencies as the MSP was also better this time.” He had sold 400 quintals of wheat for ₹8 lacs. Around 35 hectares in Punjab are dedicated to the cultivation of wheat. About 17-18 million tonnes of wheat are procured annually, and around 75% of it is brought to the Mandis by farmers.
Madhya Pradesh govt transfers ₹1500 crore to 75 lakh farmers
On May 7, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh transferred ₹1500 crore to the bank accounts of 75 lakh farmers in the State. The amount was disbursed under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana.
As per reports, Singh informed that there are 78 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh. He added that only around 24 lakh farmers among them can benefit from the Minimum Support Price scheme. Madhya Pradesh CM emphasised that under the Pradhan Mantri Yojana, farmers with half an acre of land will receive ₹6000 per annum from the Union government. He added that about 77 lakh farmers have received ₹8,465 crores so far.
The government has procured more than 1 lakh metric tonnes of gram and 80 lac metric tonnes of wheat from the farmers. The Madhya Pradesh government has also extended the last date of procurement of food grains from May 5 to May 25. The date for the Indore division has been extended only up to May 15. The last date for loan repayment for the farmers of the State have also been extended.