Ruchika M. Khanna
Chandigarh, July 2
The Punjab government is all set to relax its specifications for buying moong, so as to woo the farmers and their unions, which are protesting against the stringent procurement norms.
For the moong that has been bought by private traders at rates below the MSP, the state government will be paying the difference of the rate at which the crop has been bought and the minimum support price of Rs 7,275 per quintal. This announcement has been made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Highly placed sources in the government have told ‘The Tribune’ that the government could relax the percentage of damaged grains and shrivelled grains by upto two per cent, thus making the moong grown in the state acceptable for purchase by the state government.
Farmers have been protesting against the “undue restrictions imposed by the government” on purchase of moong at the minimum support price of Rs 7,275 per quintal. Last month, statewide protests were held as farmers claimed that the specifications announced for government purchase was leading to most of the crop being rejected. Official sources in agriculture department have told ‘The Tribune’ that the specifications for purchase allow upto two per cent impurities in the moong, maximum of three per cent of admixture and unripe. Shrivelled and immature pulses. Upto three per cent of completely damaged crop and four per cent of partially damaged crop is allowed, while four per cent of weevill infested crop is allowed. The moisture content in the crop cannot exceed 12 per cent.
Official sources have told ‘The Tribune’ that the government is likely to increase the percentage of damaged grains and shrivelled grains to be bought by its agency, MARKFED. This is also being done because the state government is unable to purchase moong and most of the crop is being bought by the private agents at rates lower than the MSP, at around Rs 6,900-7,000 per quintal.
For example, in Jagraon- the biggest Mandi for moong purchase- of the 10,809 metric tonnes of total arrivals, the private traders have purchased 10,409 MT. While 2351 farmers sold their crop to private traders, the government could purchase the crop from only 114 farmers here at the MSP.
This year, moong is being cultivated as a third crop and was sown on 1.25 lakh acres, up from 50,000 acres last year.
