MP wheat in high demand, organic farmers too make hay

Balwant Garg

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Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 1

At a time when Punjab farmers are facing problems in selling their wheat with some even resorting to distress sale, wheat from Madhya Pradesh is in high demand. Traders are buying MP wheat at the rate of Rs 2,900 per quintal.

Sources said farmers in Madhya Pradesh did not use much pesticides and fertilisers on their crop. Local traders are thus buying wheat from MP to sell it to well-off consumers.

In contrast, Punjab farmers are known for making excessive use of chemicals on their crop which affects the quality of wheat, said a trader in Faridkot who imported over 100 quintals of wheat from MP.

There are many traders in Kotkapura and Faridkot who have bought a huge quantity of MP wheat. They are selling it in the local market at prices up to Rs 3,000 per quintal.

Even in Punjab, the farmers who have grown their wheat crop organically are getting prices ranging between Rs 3,200 per quintal and Rs 3,600 per quintal.

While other farmers are struggling to get even the MSP of Rs 1,450 per quintal, those with organic crop have sold their crop much in advance and it is lifted directly from their fields.

Though the yield of organic wheat is lower than the wheat grown with chemical and pesticides, the produce fetches the farmers good prices due to its high demand, said Vinod Jyani, a farmer of Katehra village of Fazilka who do organic farming on his 110 acres for the last over seven years.

Inspired by Jyani, but many other farmers of area, including Amarjit Sharma of Chaina village in Jaitu, Charanjit Singh of Kothe Malha Singh village, Gurmail Singh of Jaito Village, Mithu Singh and Balwinder Singh of Behniwal, have brought a major chunk their land under organic farming.