Over 8 Lakh Farmers Are Still Waiting To Sell Wheat Across Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is facing a major wheat procurement crisis as only nearly 11 lakh of 19.04 lakh registered farmers have sold wheat under MSP operations so far. Delays, labour shortages, slot-booking issues, and limited procurement capacity are forcing many farmers to sell below MSP amid financial pressure and storage challenges.
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Around 19.04 lakh farmers registered to sell wheat under Madhya Pradesh’s MSP procurement system this season, but so far, only nearly 11 lakh farmers have been able to sell their produce.
The state had procured nearly 85 lakh metric tonnes of wheat till Saturday against the target of 100 lakh metric tonnes.
Farmers claim the present situation is the worst procurement crisis witnessed in Madhya Pradesh in recent years. Earlier, procurement used to begin smoothly from March, and farmers were confident that their entire produce would be purchased at MSP. This year, however, that confidence has weakened amid delays, logistical failures and falling market prices.
The slow pace of procurement has also been linked to labour shortages and reduced weighing capacity. Farmers claim that while nearly 50 tractor-trolleys should ideally be processed daily, only around 30 are being weighed due to a shortage of workers and storage management issues.
As a result, work that should finish in a day is stretching over several days, forcing farmers to keep loaded trolleys parked on roadsides in extreme heat.
Farmer leader Kedar Sirohi said that according to procurement data, Madhya Pradesh’s total wheat production this year is estimated at nearly 365 lakh metric tonnes. Out of this, farmers registered around 160 lakh metric tonnes under MSP procurement. However, the state’s procurement target itself was fixed at only 100 lakh metric tonnes, creating confusion and uncertainty among farmers.
Many farmers have now started selling wheat in the private market at rates significantly below the MSP of Rs 2,625 per quintal. Due to urgent financial needs, wedding expenses, household requirements and fears of crop damage from rain and hailstorms, farmers are reportedly selling wheat for nearly Rs 2,400 per quintal, suffering losses of around 15%.
Problem in slot booking
Devilal Patidar, a farmer from Neemuch, said bigger farmers are facing the maximum difficulties in slot booking.“Even after getting a slot, produce is not being weighed within the prescribed five-to-seven-day period, leading to expired billing dates, mounting losses and growing anger among cultivators,” he said.
Govt says procurement will continue till last date
Anurag Verma, Managing Director of Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, said wheat has been purchased from nearly half of the registered farmers. He said every stage of procurement operates according to fixed timelines and the remaining farmers would also be covered before the last procurement date. On complaints that farmers are waiting in queues for days despite slot bookings, Verma said procurement is being carried out sequentially. “If farmers are standing in queues and their turn is delayed, procurement will first happen for those already ahead in line,” he said.
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Source : Free Press Journal
