Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had failed farmers for the second time in a row with moong growers being forced to go in for distress sale of their produce with government agencies failing to procure the same.
Calling for immediate purchase of moong by government agencies at the minimum support price (msp) of Rs 7,755 per quintal, the SAD president also demanded that the government compensate farmers for the losses suffered by them by selling short to private traders.
In a statement here, the SAD president said “last year farmers sowed moong following a personal appeal by chief minister Bhagwant Mann and an assurance that their produce would be procured at msp. However the government procured only 17 % of the total produce coming into the market leading to huge losses for farmers”.
Asserting that the position was even worse this year, Sukhbir Badal said “this season government purchases are 77 % less than last year. Government agencies have purchased only 2,280 quintals of moong till now compared to 9, 902 quintals purchased during the same period last year”. He said this had happened despite the fact that 42 mandis had been notified for procurement of moong.
Stating that the total abandonment of farmers at the hands of the AAP government had left them to the mercy of private traders, Badal said “private traders have purchased as much as 1.47 lakh quintals of moong from mandis in the State till now”. He said farmers were forced to sell their produce around Rs 1, 000 per quintal less than the msp of Rs7,755 per quintal.
Condemning the chief minister for presiding over the total collapse of the farm economy in the State, Badal said “moong cultivation is encouraged in the State in the hope that it will not only lead to diversification but also save ground water”. He said the chief minister had also announced that moong, maize and sunflower would be procured on msp due to which farmers had increased the acreage under these crops. “Now when the time has come to procure the produce, the AAP government has run away from its responsibility”.Asking the chief minister to give due attention to the agriculture sector as well as welfare of farmers, Badal said “even maize farmers have been left in the lurch. Against an msp of Rs 2090 per quintal, maize was sold at Rs 1900 per quintal recently”. He said adequate dryers had also not been provided in the markets to help farmers dry their produce besides lack of cleaning facilities”.
Sukhbir Badal said it was condemnable that the AAP government was not compensating farmers for losses suffered by them through the Bhavantar scheme which was being implemented in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Demanding immediate implementation of the Bhavantar scheme, Badal said farmers who had sold their moong, maize and sunflower seeds at rates less than the stated msp should be compensated accordingly. https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=6564585680&adk=3063427007&adf=2566748822&pi=t.ma~as.6564585680&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1687848084&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F42373-aap-govt-has-failed-moong-farmers-for-second-time-in-a-row-%25E2%2580%2593-sukhbir-.aspx&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1687848083287&bpp=3&bdt=299&idt=849&shv=r20230621&mjsv=m202306161001&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95130899a8ecdc7f-22a3f524a9dc007b%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MaWiYgIL1o6WwZjiZZtZu0PKNrwDA&gpic=UID%3D00000bc8d9ddee3d%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ8cRGJszKI58ntSspbOPcQ8FG7Q&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=8157480817723&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=43977354.1677072829&ga_sid=1687848084&ga_hid=390751239&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=17&u_h=900&u_w=1600&u_ah=860&u_aw=1600&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=223&ady=2634&biw=1583&bih=775&scr_x=0&scr_y=39&eid=44759837%2C42532277%2C42532279%2C44759876%2C44759927%2C31075309%2C42531705%2C44785292%2C44788441&oid=2&pvsid=1095358759698087&tmod=2048750073&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F7-punjab.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1600%2C0%2C1616%2C876%2C1600%2C775&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=ScCTBvWYmk&p=https%3A//www.kaumimarg.com&dtd=962 https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=3679734216&adk=2006582303&adf=1589897189&pi=t.ma~as.3679734216&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1687848084&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F42373-aap-govt-has-failed-moong-farmers-for-second-time-in-a-row-%25E2%2580%2593-sukhbir-.aspx&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1687848083290&bpp=3&bdt=302&idt=1114&shv=r20230621&mjsv=m202306161001&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95130899a8ecdc7f-22a3f524a9dc007b%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MaWiYgIL1o6WwZjiZZtZu0PKNrwDA&gpic=UID%3D00000bc8d9ddee3d%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ8cRGJszKI58ntSspbOPcQ8FG7Q&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=8157480817723&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=43977354.1677072829&ga_sid=1687848084&ga_hid=390751239&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=17&u_h=900&u_w=1600&u_ah=860&u_aw=1600&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=223&ady=2926&biw=1583&bih=775&scr_x=0&scr_y=408&eid=44759837%2C42532277%2C42532279%2C44759876%2C44759927%2C31075309%2C42531705%2C44785292%2C44788441&oid=2&pvsid=1095358759698087&tmod=2048750073&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F7-punjab.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1600%2C0%2C1616%2C876%2C1600%2C775&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=5&uci=a!5&btvi=4&fsb=1&xpc=wR4nYr9tzt&p=https%3A//www.kaumimarg.com&dtd=1120 https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=1943146562&adk=3656886756&adf=3747625188&pi=t.ma~as.1943146562&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1687848084&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F42373-aap-govt-has-failed-moong-farmers-for-second-time-in-a-row-%25E2%2580%2593-sukhbir-.aspx&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1687848083293&bpp=1&bdt=305&idt=1177&shv=r20230621&mjsv=m202306161001&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95130899a8ecdc7f-22a3f524a9dc007b%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MaWiYgIL1o6WwZjiZZtZu0PKNrwDA&gpic=UID%3D00000bc8d9ddee3d%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1687848047%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ8cRGJszKI58ntSspbOPcQ8FG7Q&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=8157480817723&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=43977354.1677072829&ga_sid=1687848084&ga_hid=390751239&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=17&u_h=900&u_w=1600&u_ah=860&u_aw=1600&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=223&ady=3218&biw=1583&bih=775&scr_x=0&scr_y=408&eid=44759837%2C42532277%2C42532279%2C44759876%2C44759927%2C31075309%2C42531705%2C44785292%2C44788441&oid=2&pvsid=1095358759698087&tmod=2048750073&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F7-punjab.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1600%2C0%2C1616%2C876%2C1600%2C775&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=6&uci=a!6&btvi=5&fsb=1&xpc=90w9DeAnJu&p=https%3A//www.kaumimarg.com&dtd=1183