Wheat procurement & lifting impacted in Punjab, 18 farmers have dedicated suicide so far

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The procurement operation of wheat this season in Punjab has been impacted as until yesterday completely different central and state authorities companies, together with the Food Corporation of India have bought solely 85.98 Metric Tonnes (MT) going by the pattern it doesn’t appear the state will archive it’s goal, because the wheat arrivals have gone down in grain markets throughout the state this is because of shrivelled grain drawback as no determination has been taken by the Union Government until now on giving leisure, additionally farmers are holding again the crop anticipating surge in costs in a while as international wheat is rising on account of Russia-Ukraine struggle and personal participant buying the crop above Minimum Support Price (MSP). 

Also this season until yesterday solely 62.81 per cent of wheat has been lifted. Thus roughly eighteen farmers have dedicated suicide to this point throughout the state this month alone on account of low yield on wheat.

As per the info with the state meals and provides division as of April 25 the whole wheat procurement was 90.61 MT of this authorities company bought 85.98 MT and personal merchants 4.62 MT. From 2009-10 until final yr, the very best personal buy was in 2014-15 which was 2.9 LMT which was 2.4 per cent. While final yr additionally the image as nearly related as on April 25 it was 84.17 LMT of that
84.15LMT was bought by authorities companies and solely 2,376 KG by personal gamers.

 The goal mounted by the Food Corporation of India for 2022-23 for Punjab is 132 lakh MT as 132.22 LMT wheat was procured in 2021-22. Going by the pattern it does not appear the state will archive it’s goal because it appears it’s going to stay round 100 LMT.

A senior official of the division mentioned that this time the farmers are holding again wheat as they’re anticipating excessive costs after few day or months because the costs of the grain are rising within the international markets. So they aren’t bringing their crop to the grain market. Also the personal gamers this time are
buying extra wheat from the farmers and paying them greater than the Minimum Reserve
value (MSP) as they’re giving them Rs 2,025 per tonne in opposition to the MSP of Rs 2,015 per quintal. The foremost issue is the wheat grain is shrivelled by 10 to twenty per cent thus yield of wheat can also be low.

While this time the lifting can also be sluggish as 62.81 per cent as  51.16 lakh MT of wheat has been lifted and 30.30 MT is but to be lifted as of yesterday by completely different central and state authorities companies from the two,321-grain markets and procurements centres throughout Punjab.

The foremost purpose for sluggish lifting is that the contracts for transportation and labour had been allotted through the time period of the earlier authorities and it’s alleged that the contractors who didn’t have the requisite variety of vans and labour for the job got these contracts.

ALSO READ: Wheat procurement from Punjab anticipated to stay under 100 lakh MT

“If we evaluate with final yr, the tempo of lifting this yr is sort of related. Every yr for a number of days when there’s a glut in mandis inside few days, your entire inventory will likely be lifted and shifted to godowns,” mentioned an official.

A senior officer of FCI mentioned that they’re ready for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to take a choice on enjoyable specs, following which they may raise the grain. Even the direct supply of wheat to the FCI is stalled until this situation is resolved.

This month eighteen suicides have been reported to this point throughout Punjab as a result of low yield of wheat of those 11 in malwa area. As per the info gathered by BKU (Ugrahan) the biggest farmer union of Punjab, fourteen farmers have dedicated suicide in several elements of Punjab until date this month.

“On April 18, 38-year-old Ramandeep Singh of Bajak village in Bathinda died as he consumed
pesticide on April 14 as a result of low yield of the grain. While Gurdeep Singh (28) of Mansa Khurd village in Bathinda hanged himself and Jaspal Singh of Maiserkhana village additionally in Bathinda jumped earlier than the practice on April 20 and Randhir Singh of Bhagivander villagen additionally Bathinda district was discovered lifeless in a pound. Manjit Singh of Paddi Sura Singh village in Hoshiarpur district consumed place on April 23. All these farmers dedicated suicide as a result of low yield of wheat and the federal government ought to give Rs 10 lakh per household as compensation,’’ claimed Sukhdev Singh General Secretary of BKU (Ugrahan).

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has appealed to the Union Government to calm down the specs for shriveled grains within the buy of wheat within the state with out the imposition of any worth minimize, thereby defending the incomes of the farmers who’re already impacted by low yield and extreme farm debt.

He mentioned that regardless of the passage of 1 week for the reason that central groups, deputed by the Ministry of Food and  Public Distribution, accomplished their job and submitted their report back to the ministry highlighting the extent of shriveling of the grain, no determination has been taken by the Union Government. He emphasised that farming points are required to be resolved on excessive precedence and the delay is
impacting the procurement operations.

BOX: Input Costs High The enter prices have gone up as fertiliser,  pesticides, seeds, and diesel wanted to function tubewells and tractors have shot up considerably this yr. The costs of diammonium phosphate (DAP) have elevated from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,350 per 50 kg.