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BJP today asked Bihar government to provide a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal on wheat procurement from the farmers.
"We demand that the state government should provide a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal on wheat procurement from the farmers to help them overcome loss of rabi crop on account of unseasonal rain and cyclonic storm that hit Bihar in February and March this year," former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.
He said that the state government should be lenient in wheat procurement from farmers and provide bonus for the wheat grains having 50 per cent shine or less as the Centre has relaxed norm in this regard for this rabi season.
Claiming that utter chaos prevailed during paddy procurement as a result of which the government agencies failed to meet procurement target of 30 lakh metric tonne paddy from the farmers, Modi said that the state government should learn its lessons and make adequate arrangements for wheat procurement as per target.
Referring to the suicide of a debt-stricken farmer in Singhara panchayat under Maner block of Patna district last week, the senior BJP leader demanded stringent action against all those people responsible for the incident.
He further asked the State Food Corporation (STF) to immediately payRs 977 crore to the farmers in lieu of procurement of their harvest so that they could put the money to use for sustaining their families and sowing next crop.
