Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating his demand for incentive or bonus to farmers for bringing in their produce to the grain markets after May 1, to check overcrowding in the markets.
The Chief Minister said the Centre should immediately announce a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal over and above MSP to the farmers for bringing wheat for marketing after May 1 and Rs 200 per quintal after May 31, in order to compensate them for the additional cost for handling the produce for staggering the marketing and the reduction in yield.
"Amid COVID-19, the cost of paying the incentive bonus would be offset by the resultant saving in the cost of health care, which otherwise would have to be incurred in case of spread of this deadly virus," wrote the Chief Minister.
"It could not be overemphasised that the farmers must be encouraged to follow the health advisories in this extraordinary situation the nation is facing while ensuring the national food security necessary procurement arrangements are in place accordingly," he added.
Captain Amarinder pointed out that Punjab has been contributing about 30-35 per cent of wheat procured for the central pool to ensure required buffer stocks of the country.
The state is expecting the harvest of about 18.5 million MTs of wheat during Rabi 2019-20 and market arrivals are likely to be about 13.5 million MTs.
The Chief Minister further informed PM Modi that the normal marketing season for wheat is from April 1 to May 31 but apart from the damage due to untimely rains and hailstorm during the March and April 2020 in some parts of the State, the lockdown/curfew in the State to contain COVID-19 had delayed the harvesting of wheat.
Singh further said that in view of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, the state had already made elaborate arrangements for the procurement of wheat.
The number of purchase centres had been almost doubled from 1820 last year to 3791 during the current Rabi Marketing Season to ensure social distancing, and staggering of wheat arrivals in these centres has been planned by limiting the daily arrivals and extending procurement season up to June 30.
Resultantly, the farmers were being forced to stager the marketing as the cost in terms of the spread of the pandemic and subsequent expenditure on providing healthcare may be much more, added Chief Minister Singh.
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