Dejected farmers selling produce below MSP

Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, April 20

After a week of wait in mandis to sell their wheat produce, some farmers have started selling their crop to private traders below minimum support price (MSP) in Faridkot district.

At Kotkapura procurement centre, many farmers today were selling wheat at Rs 1,400-Rs1,405 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 1,450 per quintal. Most of the buyers of this “discounted” wheat are flour millers of the area. In Kotkapura mandi, over 700 tonnes of wheat was purchased by private millers today.

As these flour mills are also availing the exemption of Market Fee and Rural Development Fee (2 per cent each) on the purchase of wheat, there was bulk purchasing of wheat by the millers today.

While these millers purchased wheat at rates ranging between Rs 1,400 and Rs 1,405, in underhand dealing between millers and commission agents, the purchase was billed at Rs 1,454-Rs 1,455 per quintal. Punjab has 145 registered flour mills.

While the high moisture content and discolouring of grains is acting as a deterrent for government procurement agencies, private buyers have no problem buying the produce at a ‘discounted’ rate.

“Nine days ago, I had brought my crop to the mandi in Kotkapura and every day since then, I was sinking deeper in depression as no government agency was entering the market. Moreover, I was fearing that rain would damage my crop without any cover in the mandi, so I decided to sell my produce of 4 acre at Rs 1,400 per quintal to a flour miller,” says Mohinder Singh, a dejected farmer of Dhaipai village.

Kulbir Singh Matta, district mandi officer, Faridkot, said, “Commission agents and private buyers had been warned against purchasing wheat below the MSP. One day ago, when we got such reports, we issued a warning in this regard.” The government agencies had procured 20,000 tonnes of wheat in the last two days in Faridkot, said Matta.

Sources in the Food and Supplies Department said as there was no finalisation of contract with transporters for the lifting, loading and transportation of the procured wheat, government agencies were intentionally going slow.

“The procurement will pick up in the coming days and farmers need not sell their produce below the MSP,” said JS Kahlon, district food and supplies officer, Faridkot.