Rabi procurement: Stand-off continues over direct payments to Punjab farmers

Graduation of rabi procurement is just a 7 days away (anticipated April 10), but no end is in sight to the stand-off concerning the Centre and the Punjab federal government over immediate payments for the foodgrains procured. Ironically, no one, which include farmers who are ostensibly the beneficiaries of the immediate money transfer, is content with the move.

The Ministry of Consumer Affair, Food stuff and Community Distribution had knowledgeable the Punjab federal government that DBT to farmers is necessary for the coming rabi wheat procurement year. Nonetheless, the Point out has refused to employ it, and has sought appointment with Key Minister Narendra Modi to go over the situation and defer the scheme for at the very least 1 calendar year.

Arhtiyas opposed to move

Arhtiyas, or commission brokers, in Punjab are up in arms against the move. According to them, it is aimed at destroying APMC (Agricultural Generate Marketing and advertising Committee) mandis and providing every little thing on a platter to personal gamers, whom the BJP-led NDA federal government at the Centre wishes to promote.

“The present process of payment ( by way of commission brokers) has been in place for the past fifty years and has worked well. Even farmers do not have any problems about it. We have been having to pay down to the past penny to farmers instantly,” stated Vijay Kalra, President, Federation of Arhtiya Association of Punjab. Arhtiyas strategy to keep a main protest meet in Moga on Monday, in which lots of farmers leaders are also anticipated to participate.

Cumbersome for farmers

Balbir Singh Rajewal, President, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), stated the move is not in favour of farmers in the Point out. “It is likely to make it cumbersome for farmers to sell their create at procurement centres. Every time a farmer takes the create to the mandi, he has to create evidence of his landholding. Approximately forty for each cent of land in Punjab is owned by absentee landlords who have given their land to tenants for cultivation. However the Centre argues that these tenants can sign up their contracts with landlords in get to get the DBT, how lots of landlords would occur forward as they will anxiety getting rid of their holdings to tenants who have been tilling the land for lots of years,” asked Rajewal.

He stated the DBT situation arrived up a couple years ago when Parkash Singh Badal was the Main Minister. “When that federal government sought the belief of farmers on this situation, only a few farmers supported it. The farmers have self confidence in commission brokers, who have been earning payments to them instantly,” Rajewal informed BusinessLine.

According to Kalra, insistence of land information as evidence led to 22 for each cent considerably less paddy procurement in Haryana in the past kharif year.The move, he suggests, is only an attempt to dismantle the Food stuff Corporation of India so that personal firms can choose its place. Farmers throughout the region will keep demonstrations against any move to scrap the FCI, Rajewal added.

‘Wrong timing’

An additional farmer chief, stated the timing of the Centre was improper, even while he was not fully against the concept. “It is staying carried out in the midst of a farmer agitation. Secondly, there should really have been a guide time of at the very least 6 months for bringing these a drastic improve, not just 1 thirty day period as is the circumstance now,” he stated.

Gurdeep Kamra of the Fee Agents Association in Haryana, which carried out the scheme this calendar year, stated the DBT will not work and Haryana would see a massive number of farmers hitting the road as payments are not likely to be clean.

“While arhtiyas would get 2.5 for each cent commission for the providers they present these as procurement, their involvement in procurement is likely to be restricted in the new process. Previously, arhtiyas utilized to make sure the top quality of grains they procured. But now on they will procure whichever the farmers carry in. If the top quality of grains is inferior (these as significant dampness concentrations) their payments may get stuck, leading to main disgruntlement amid farmers,” Kamra stated, expressing self confidence that the Point out would revert to the previously process from quite next calendar year.