MP Farmers Threaten Agitation Over Wheat Procurement Delay

Indore, Apr 1 (PTI) Farmer organisations in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday said they would launch an agitation over the delay in wheat procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the state government.



Madhya Pradesh is among the top wheat-producing states in the country. This year, the state government has decided to provide a bonus of Rs 40 per quintal to farmers, paying a total MSP of Rs 2,625 per quintal.



Lakshminarayan Patel, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's Malwa Province (Indore-Ujjain division), said wheat procurement starts around March 15, but this year it was being put off again and again.



The government was making "false claims" that the procurement was delayed due to the shortage of plastic bags caused by the West Asia conflict, he alleged.




"Due to the delay, about 60 percent of farmers have been declared loan defaulters as they are unable to repay the loans to banks and cooperative societies. Traders, on the other hand, are taking undue advantage of the situation and purchasing wheat at below-MSP prices," claimed Patel.



Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Bablu Jadhav said the state government's inconsistent and disorganised wheat procurement policies have plunged the farmers into a crisis.

"March 15 was initially announced as the date for (the start of) wheat procurement. Then it was deferred to April 1. Now it has been pushed back to April 10. In some divisions, they have decided to begin procurement from April 15. This delay is an injustice to farmers and a blow to their hard work," he said.



If the arrangements for wheat procurement at MSP are not streamlined and loan repayment dates not deferred, the farmers would be forced to launch a massive agitation, said Jadhav.