Contrary to the ongoing debate in the state Assembly over Rabi crop losses and state government’s tall claims of crop losses, districts like Ashoknagar, Vidisha and Guna in Madhya Pradesh are expecting a bumper wheat crop this year. Farmers have said crops like Masoor and Chana is either affected or badly damaged in some areas but wheat crop is bumper.
The 300 km-stretch of Bhopal Vidisha, Mungawali, Ashoknagar and Chanderi that connects state capital to Uttar Pradesh border has reported hardly any crop losses. The wheat growers there prefer lok-1, 306 and Sharbati varieties. Farmers said the crop was in good condition and would be ready to be reaped in fifteen days from now.
On the other hand, a number of member of legislative Assembly from various districts today raised questions over crop losses and compensation to farmers. In almost all replies the Revenue Minister Karan Singh Verma informed the house the department was gathering information, “It is a time-consuming process as our field staff has to visit each field to assess the losses. To which deputy leader of the main Opposition party Congress Choudhury Rakesh Singh raised objections and pointed out how serious the government was over the issue.
Speaker Ishwar Das Rohani also asked the government to furnish details about crop losses as soon as possible.
An insider in the agriculture department who is associated with survey activities informed Business Standard, “The state is well within its target of 9.3 million tonne of wheat production this year. As far as crop losses are concerned, the damage is not more than 25 per cent in most of the cases.”
