Compensate farmers for crop losses: Surjewala to Haryana Govt

Congress general secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala today criticised the BJP government for the inconvenience faced by paddy farmers, and demanded that the compensation for the crop loss should be released in seven days.

Surjewala along with Thanesar MLA Ashok Arora and several other Congress leaders today visited Pipli and Thanesar Grain markets and blamed the BJP government for problems that farmers faced.

He said while farmers were yet to receive compensation for the losses they suffered in the fields, they were not getting MSP for their produce in the grain market.

“Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini during the elections had promised that the PR paddy will be procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal, but farmers are not even getting the MSP of Rs 2,389 a quintal. The farmers are being cheated in the name of higher moisture,” he said.

The Congress leader targetted the Saini government, saying paddy and bajra farmers had been suffering losses, but the government hadn’t been paying any attention to protect them. Just before the elections, the CM made tall claims about purchasing every grain of paddy. But in reality, 5 lakh MT of paddy is rotting in the markets of 10 districts. "Procurement hasn't even begun in five to six districts, and in the remaining areas, there's hardly any procurement at MSP. The farmers have suffered a yield loss this year and they are not getting their cost of production back. The farmers were forced to block the National Highway in Shahabad to get the paddy sold," he said.

Surjewala said crops on 50 lakh acres were destroyed due to waterlogging, and no compensation had been provided to farmers yet. Agricultural fields were still waterlogged and farmers would face problems in wheat sowing as well. PM Narendra Modi has turned his back on Haryana, claiming there was no flood, and the central government hadn't released a single rupee, he alleged.

He said the plight of bajra growers was even worse. Bajra should be purchased at the MSP of Rs 2,775 in Mahendragarh, Rewari, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Fatehabad and Sirsa, but it was being sold below the MSP.

He said the shortage of DAP fertiliser for wheat sowing was another major concern. Farmers were forced to wait in queues since 4 am and return empty-handed while DAP was being black-marketed, he alleged.