Congress president Sonia Gandhi has urged the government to relax norms concerning moisture content of wheat procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), saying farmers are facing "acute distress" due to unseasonal rain and hailstorms.
In a letter to union Food Minister Ramvilas Paswan, Gandhi said she had visited affected areas in various states and witnessed first hand the acute distress that the farmers were facing.
"Several of them have been pushed to poverty overnight and are staring at bankruptcy," she said.
In the letter, written on Monday but released to media on Tuesday, Gandhi termed it an "extraordinary situation" and "unprecedented crisis".
She said it has been brought to her notice that the FCI manual specifies that if the moisture content in the rabi wheat crop exceeds 14 percent, the government would reject procuring such wheat and a discount would be levied if the moisture content was between 12 percent and 14 percent.
The Congress president said while such specifications can hold in normal circumstances, unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms over the past few weeks have severely damaged the wheat crop and would lead to enhanced moisture content.
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She said very little wheat will qualify for procurement under the existing manual for procurement due to an unprecedented situation.
"These are difficult days for farmers. And, not being able to sell their produce defeats the very purpose of guaranteeing a minimum support price to farmers."
"Though the MSP (minimum support price) for wheat fixed by the government doesn't reflect true cost, a complete denial of MSP will compound the existing problems for our farmers," she said.
Gandhi said the situation calls for suspension of regulations enforceable in ordinary conditions.
"Hence I request the government to relax specifications, specifically with regard to the moisture content for procurement. This shall provide small but significant relief to our farmers."
The Congress president said her party-led United Progressive Alliance had ensured exemptions for farmers during grave situations. "I hope your ministry will do the same and provide requisite directives at the earliest."