Capt seeks relaxation in wheat norms; Harsimrat alleges rigging in procurement

Chandigarh, April 22 

Congress-led Punjab government on Monday sought relaxation in norms for wheat procurement in the wake of crop losses due to untimely rains.

Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, however, alleged that wheat farmers were being harassed and fleeced in the state through “organised rigging” of moisture content machines. She charged the Congress government with “becoming a partner in this extortion racket”.

Chief minister Amarinder Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking relaxation in specifications for wheat procurement in the current season in view of crop losses suffered by farmers due to unseasonal rains.

In a statement here, the Chief Minister also asked the prime minister to direct the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution to depute a team of experts to visit Punjab to assess loss in the quality of wheat due to the rains so that suitable revised specifications can be laid down. Widespread rains last week had caused damage to crops including wheat in Punjab and Haryana. Both the state governments had ordered special ‘girdawari’ (assessment of crop loss).

Amarinder Singh urged the prime minister to order appropriate relaxation in specifications without any value cut, which would compound the problems of farmers who have already suffered significant crop losses due to the rains and winds that lashed the state from April 16 to  April 18.

He pointed out that such rains at the time of maturation of wheat crop had caused damage to the standing crop and also affected the quality of the wheat grains because of waterlogging, leading to loss of lustre/blackened grains.

He further mentioned that the frequent rains and slightly lower temperatures in the state in the month of March had already delayed the process of harvesting, because of which the arrival of wheat in mandis was delayed and commenced only from April 11.

Approximately 3 lakh metric tonne of the arrival of wheat has been reported in the grain markets so far, which is significantly lower than arrivals in the past, he pointed out.

Although the arrival of wheat is likely to increase in the coming days, it has been reported by the field officers that the quality of wheat arriving in the mandis of the state does not fall into Fair Average Quality specifications.

Therefore, prescribed uniform specifications of wheat with regard to damaged, slightly damaged, shrivelled and broken grains, lustre and moisture content would require relaxation by the Government of India, the Chief Minister said while demanding an immediate resolution of the issue to ensure hassle-free procurement of wheat in the larger interest of the farming community.

Meanwhile, Union food processing minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that ‘Goonda’ tax was being levied on farmers in the name of high moisture content by “organised rigging” of moisture content machines. She slammed the Congress government for “becoming a partner in this extortion racket” against growers.

Harsimrat, who visited the grain market here, said it was astonishing that the ‘Goonda’ tax was “flourishing” under the very nose of finance minister Manpreet Badal and that the chief minister was also “looking the other way while farmers were fleeced” in the ‘mandis’.

During her visit, she checked a machine used to measure moisture following which, she claimed, it was revealed that the machine was “rigged”.

“The machine gave a reading of 5 per cent moisture content even when empty, proving officials had created the bogey of high moisture content to fool farmers. Other machines were also found to have been rigged in the same manner,” she alleged.

Harsimrat spoke to officials associated with the procurement and also with the Deputy Commissioner and asked them to ensure farmers were not “harassed” in mandis in the name of high moisture content.

Punjab has made arrangements for the procurement of 130 lakh MT of wheat in the ongoing Rabi marketing season. — PTI