Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann declared on Saturday that his government will pay up to Rs 1,000 per quintal for compensation to farmers who are selling their produce below the MSP in the market, which is good news for "moong" growers.
After certain reports claimed that the "moong" (green gram) was being sold for less than the minimum support price of Rs 7,275 per quintal, the announcement was made. Mann said that he had instructed the financial department in this respect. Mann stated in a video message that "questions have been raised in recent days over the quality of the moong harvest."
According to him, if a farmer sold a crop for Rs 7,000 per quintal instead of Rs 6,500, the state government would pay the farmer Rs 275 and the difference of Rs 775. According to Mann, a farmer would receive Rs 1,000 per quintal if he sold his produce for Rs 6,000 per quintal. He said that he had previously given his approval for a reduction of the current requirements for the acquisition of damaged "moong" crops. Mann announced an easing of the requirements for purchasing crops, saying the maximum limit of the unripe, shriveled, or immature crops has been increased from 3% to 8%, 3 % to 6% for a damaged crop, and 4% to 7% for a slightly damaged crop.
The CM said it was his responsibility to prevent losses for farmers because he had asked them to cultivate a "moong" crop. In a subsequent remark, Mann noted that the moong crop arrived in a total of 2.98 lakh quintals in 2021–22 and that this year, 4 lakh quintals are anticipated to arrive. On more than 1.25 lakh acres of land, he claimed, "moong" was seeded this year.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, had also requested that the AAP government buy the whole "moong" crop arriving at the state "mandis" at MSP and reimburse farmers for the loss they experienced when they sold short to private players by July 10. "We demand a clear-cut instruction to the state agencies to purchase all 'moong' coming in state mandis as per the MSP," Badal said in a statement. We also want farmers to get compensation from the government for any losses they incur while selling their goods to private parties.
The "Bhavantar" Scheme, which is being implemented by Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, can be used to accomplish this. If the government doesn't accomplish this, the SAD will start a protest to get justice for the state's farmers, according to Badal.
