Punjab farmers feel let down over procurement extension

The decision of the Union government to extend the date of wheat procurement from May 31 to June 30 is expected to benefit farmers in Punjab, but it has not been welcomed by farmers' organisations in the state.

The extension of procurement date means that the farmers will continue to get a bonus of Rs 100 a quintal.

The farmers' organisations, which have always wanted an increase in the MSP and not a bonus, have said that the extension was in the interest of the Union government as Punjab farmers seemed to be adamant on their stand of not selling wheat to Food Corporation of India (FCI).

In March this year, after an apprehension that the Centre may step in and prevent farmers from selling their harvest to anyone other than FCI, generated so much of heat that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal even told the Assembly that the Congress government in Delhi had no business of imposing curbs when it did so little to help them.

But now, it seems it is in the interest of Badal, who wants wheat for the state's public distribution system, that FCI procures maximum wheat from the state, which can further benefit him in starting his much-awaited atta-dal scheme.

Even his Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah had also said that farmers should sell their produce to the highest bidder, not just the government agencies. All India Kisan Coordination Committee President Bhupinder Singh Mann and Shetkari Sangathan leader and MP Sharad Joshi had also appealed to farmers to boycott FCI for the first 45 days of procurement.

Bhupinder Singh Mann, former MP and president, All India Kisan Coordination ,Committee said," "We need an increase in MSP and not a bonus. Extension of the date means that FCI will procure more of wheat at Rs 850 a quintal. In states such as Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, wheat is selling at a price more than Rs 1,050 a quintal.''