Farmers not happy with lifting norms for damaged grains

Amritsar, April 12

Even as the Central government has relaxed norms for wheat procurement with value deduction of the produce as per the percentage of shrivelled grains and lustre loss, farmer unions have demanded that the decision be rolled back immediately.

The farmer leaders reasoned that on the one hand, the state government announced compensation for crop loss due to unseasonal rains, and on the other, it had decided to deduct the value of the produce.

“It is like taking back something with one hand and giving it back with the other,” said Jamhoori Kisan Sabha leader Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala. He added that lustre loss or broken grains do not impact the quality of the grain as it still remains consumable.

Dr Ajnala said that the agriculture sector is already going through tough times and untimely rains during the last few weeks have broken its back as the yield would fall drastically.

Rattan Singh Randhawa of the Border Area Sangharsh Committee said, “The percentage of shrivelled grains or those with lustre loss would be calculated by the employees of the procurement agencies. The farmers would have no say in it. The government has made no provision in case the farmer is not satisfied with the loss assessed by the government employees.” He said that in times of distress, the Centre and state government should come to the help of the farming community.

As per the new norms, the Centre has relaxed the limit of shrivelled and broken grains up to 18 per cent against the existing limit of 6 per cent. While the farmers would not be subjected to any value cut for shrivelled or broken grains up to 6 per cent, Rs 5.31 would be deducted per quintal in case the shrivelled grains are in the range of 6 to 8 per cent. If the produce has 10 per cent shrivelled grains, a deduction of Rs 15.93 would be made per quintal. The highest value cut is of Rs 31.87 per quintal in case the wheat has shrivelled and broken grains in the range of 16 to 18 per cent.

Similarly, there is no cut for lustre loss of up to 10 per cent. However, a value cut of Rs 5.31 per quintal would be applicable for lustre loss of more than 10 per cent.