For weeks, farmers across Telangana have been guarding tarpaulin-covered heaps of paddy under the open sky, anxiously watching the occasional dark clouds as procurement delays stretch on.

An untimely spell of rain can soak their grain overnight while prolonged delays in procurement are draining farmers financially through mounting labour and transport costs. With the next sowing season fast approaching, many fear they may be forced into fresh debt before they are even paid for the current harvest.

In Gopalapuram village of Jammikunta mandal in Karimnagar district, 60-year-old farmer S. Shankaraiah is battling a crisis of his own. On May 5, a fire reduced his three-acre maize crop to ashes just days before harvest. The blaze also destroyed another 67 acres of standing maize in neighbouring farms.

But the loss of maize is only one part of his distress; Shankaraiah is now waiting for the procurement of 35 bags of paddy harvested from his remaining land. “The only solace is that the harvested paddy escaped the fire. We need compensation for the maize loss and faster procurement to survive these difficult times,” he says.

Nearly 150 kilometres away in Devulamma Nagaram village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, 48-year-old farmer Yadamma faces a different battle. On a hot afternoon in the second week of May, she bends repeatedly to gather paddy spread over tarpaulin sheets into a tub before pouring it onto a mound. The grain had been partially soaked during rain last Sunday. Since then, Yadamma, her family members and hired workers have been drying the grain repeatedly before it can be sold at a government procurement centre.

“The signs of untimely rain scare us,” she says while lifting another tub of grain under the harsh afternoon sun.

Every evening, the family gathers the paddy into heaps and covers it with tarpaulin sheets fearing another spell of rain

It has been 28 days since several farmers in the village brought their produce to the IKP procurement centre. “We really hope it gets cleared soon,” Yadamma says.

The family pays around ₹800 per day to each worker and to reduce costs, they also pick up tubs and shovels themselves. With the next sowing season approaching, Yadamma fears they may have to borrow money for fresh investment if payments for the current crop are further delayed.

Across procurement centres run by Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP), Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and other agencies in Telangana, similar scenes are unfolding as farmers wait for the procurement of paddy, maize, jowar, bengal gram and sunflower. At several centres, grain lies under the open sky for weeks, exposed to heat, dust and untimely rain.

Desperation to sell the produce, fear of crop damage and anxiety over mounting debts are among the most common concerns voiced by farmers across districts.

Record harvest, rising distress

Ironically, the distress has emerged in a season of record cultivation. Officials of the Agriculture Department say favourable conditions such as availability of irrigation water from projects, healthy groundwater levels and adequate input supply helped bring over 92.17 lakh acres under cultivation this rabi season, the highest ever in Telangana.

Paddy alone was cultivated in over 65.42 lakh acres, maize in nearly 16.37 lakh acres and jowar in more than 4.03 lakh acres. Other rabi crops such as bengal gram, groundnut, greengram, sesamum, sunflower and safflower also contributed to the record acreage.

With conducive weather and irrigation support, paddy production is estimated at around 1.6 crore tonnes with an average yield of 24 quintals per acre. Maize production is estimated at 43.49 lakh tonnes with an average yield of 26.6 quintals per acre while jowar output is estimated at 4.03 lakh tonnes with an average yield of 10 quintals per acre.

To handle the output, the State government opened 8,575 procurement centres, including around 3,500 IKP centres and 4,350 centres run by PACS, with a target of procuring 90 lakh tonnes of paddy this season.

As of May 13, around 30 lakh tonnes had been procured and ₹4,520 crore credited to farmers’ bank accounts, according to the Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation. The State has also procured nearly 7 lakh tonnes of maize and some quantities of bengal gram and sunflower after the Centre allegedly refused to support procurement of those crops.

Amid mounting complaints from farmers, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday reviewed issues such as shortage of gunny bags, porters and transportation bottlenecks, and directed officials to expedite procurement of paddy and maize in mission mode. He has warned that negligence at any level would not be tolerated.

The Civil Supplies Department too had identified five major bottlenecks affecting procurement and issued directions for urgent corrective measures. District Civil Supplies Officers were instructed to identify rice mills, where vehicles were stranded due to delays in unloading, and ensure immediate clearance of pending stocks.

Despite these interventions, the pace of procurement continues to trigger criticism from the Opposition parties, particularly the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Bharatiya Janata Party, which have accused the government of slow procurement, delayed shifting of grain to mills and godowns, and late payments to farmers.

The government, however, has rejected the allegations as politically motivated. “The government is committed to procure the promised quantity of paddy and make payments in time to farmers,” says Minister for Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.

According to official figures, paddy procurement in Telangana stood at 13.24 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, 8.42 lakh tonnes in 2015-16, 37.21 lakh tonnes in 2016-17, 35.74 lakh tonnes in 2017-18, 37.05 lakh tonnes in 2018-19, 64.18 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, 90.01 lakh tonnes in 2020-21, 50.9 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, 64.52 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, 48 lakh tonnes in 2023-24 and 72.42 lakh tonnes in 2024-25.

Despite the large-scale procurement exercise and competing political claims, the ground reality at many centres remains grim. At an IKP centre in Panagal of Nalgonda district, farmers wonder whether the prolonged delays are an indirect attempt to discourage paddy cultivation as part of crop diversification efforts.

“When irrigation water is available, we naturally prefer paddy cultivation. Other crops are damaged by monkeys, wild boars and deer. But if procurement delays continue like this, we are in for a lot of trouble,” says a farmer waiting for his produce to be cleared.

The procurement process itself has become a major bottleneck. After harvesting paddy, farmers transport it on tractors to procurement centres, unload it, spread it for drying and cover it with tarpaulin sheets. They then receive receipts with token numbers and wait for their turn. Once procurement begins, hamalis (porters) weigh the produce, pack it in gunny bags and load them onto lorries for transport to rice mills and eventual supply to the Food Corporation of India.

Multiple delays mar procurement

Farmers say delays occur at every stage of this chain. There are delays in arranging porters, shortages of gunny bags and lack of heavy vehicles to transport grain. Several farmers also allege that lorries remain stranded outside mills for days because rice mills fail to unload paddy immediately, further straining the availability of transport vehicles. The delays also affect preparations for the next crop season.

Farmers at Aneparthy IKP centre in Nalgonda district say the procurement yard gets flooded during heavy rain as it is located on lower ground. “Produce of only 13 farmers was cleared in two months. More than 130 farmers are still waiting. You can calculate how long it will take,” says K. Ramachandraiah, a farmer.

With Rohini Karte, the period associated with peak summer heat before the onset of pre-monsoon showers, fast approaching, farmers are worried about the prolonged exposure of grain to rain and moisture. If paddy gets soaked, they must again hire workers, shift the grain to safer places and dry it repeatedly before it becomes fit for sale. Many farmers say they spend at least ₹600 per worker every day besides paying for leased tarpaulin sheets costing around ₹20 per sheet daily.

Farmers also fear deterioration in grain quality. Moisture content can reduce the price they receive or even force them to sell below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). In some cases, grain may germinate if left wet for too long.

Many say that certain procurement centres and mills are also imposing unfair deductions. They claim produce belonging to some farmers far behind in the queue is allegedly being cleared earlier. Others allege that mills force them to overfill bags or deduct grain in the name of chaff and wastage. A gunny bag ideally contains 40 kg of paddy, but several farmers complain they are being forced to fill up to 42 kg.

K. Anjaneyulu, a farmer from Madipally village in Hasanparthy mandal of Hanumakonda district, says cultivators had been waiting for gunny bags for over 10 days. “We are visiting the procurement centre every day, but in vain as no bags are available,” he says.

Farmers also complain about non-uniform hamali charges and irregular weighing practices. Farmers’ leader Namireddy Yadagiri Reddy from Nalgonda alleges that millers are deducting nearly 35 kg per tractor-load of paddy besides resorting to irregular weighing methods. “At a time when farmers are suffering, political leaders are more focused on publicity,” he says, demanding that Ministers and legislators should inspect procurement centres on a regular basis and ensure immediate transportation of grain to mills.

In Rukmapur village of Karimnagar district, farmer Rajamallu says it has been over three weeks since he brought 300 bags of paddy to the procurement centre. “There are still no signs of lifting the stock,” he says, pointing to heaps of paddy lying under tarpaulin sheets nearby.

This distress is not limited to paddy growers. Maize farmers across the erstwhile Warangal region are grappling with a sharp fall in prices, delayed procurement and exploitation by private traders. While the MSP for maize is ₹2,400 per quintal, farmers say they are often forced to sell at around ₹2,000 or even less because of mounting labour and transportation costs.

K. Balaraju, a farmer from Mogilicherla village in Geesugonda mandal of Warangal district, says he cultivated maize on 2.3 acres but eventually sold the produce to a private trader for ₹1,920 per quintal. “I waited for 10 days at the Enumamula market yard and finally sold it to a private trader,” he says.

Balaraju also alleges that farmers are being forced to buy gunny bags at ₹30 each though the government reimburses only ₹15 per bag.

Nexus alleged

Farmer groups and Opposition leaders have accused the government of negligence in procurement, and alleged collusion between officials and millers in imposing deductions in the name of quality. Bharatiya Janata Party Kisan Morcha State president Lakshmi Narsaiah alleges that farmers are being forced to wait for weeks at procurement centres while millers exploit them through deductions. “We are spending sleepless nights due to the inordinate delay in paddy procurement,” says Srinivas, another farmer, alleging that errant millers are reducing the weight of paddy in the name of chaff and categorising quality produce as ‘B’ grade.

Several farmers also point to shortage of storage space and delays in shifting grain to mills. “We staged a rasta roko on the Karimnagar-Choppadandi highway on Tuesday to highlight our grievances,” says a young farmer, demanding urgent government intervention.

Chandigarh:

The Centre will hold a meeting with Punjab’s protesting farmers on February 14 in Chandigarh to discuss their demands, thus ending a stalemate over the resumption of a dialogue with the agitators, who have been demanding a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.

Following the announcement of the proposed meeting, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered the 54th day on Saturday, agreed to take medical aid.

However, he will not end his indefinite fast till a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops is given, said farmer leader Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande.

Later, pictures showing Dallewal taking medical aid with an intravenous drip were released by the farmers.

The breakthrough came after a delegation of officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan, met Dallewal and held a meeting with the representatives of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which are spearheading the agitation for the last 11 months.

Following the announcement of the meeting on February 14, farmer leaders appealed to Dallewal to take medical aid so that he can participate in the proposed deliberations.

The Centre’s delegation also urged Dallewal to take medical aid so that he can participate in the proposed meeting, which will take place at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration at Chandigarh at 5 pm on February 14.

Talking to reporters at the Khanauri protest site, Ranjan said a high-level delegation was sent by the Centre, keeping in mind the deteriorating health of Dallewal.

“We enquired about his health and held a meeting with the representatives (of the protesting farmer bodies),” he said.

Ranjan said the meeting will be held in Chandigarh on February 14.

“We urged him (Dallewal) to break his fast and take medical aid, so that he can participate in the meeting,” he said.

A letter addressed to Dallewal, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM read: “This is in continuation of the previous meeting with the leaders of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which was held on February 15, 2024 at Chandigarh.

“A meeting with the ministers of the government of India and the Punjab government regarding the demands of the farmers’ unions has been convened on February 14, 2025 (5 pm) at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration Punjab (MGSIPA), Sector-26, Chandigarh. You are cordially invited to the meeting, please attend at the scheduled time. We hope that Dallewal will soon end his fast, recover and join the discussion,” said the letter written by Ranjan.

Four rounds of meetings had taken place between Union ministers and the protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 last year, but the talks remained inconclusive.

Earlier on Saturday, the farmers protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points between Punjab and Haryana said they have received a proposal from the central government which they will discuss.

The Centre’s delegation held meetings with the representatives of both the forums.

A Punjab government team led by retired additional director general of police Jaskaran Singh and former deputy inspector general of police Narinder Bhargav, who were holding discussions with the farmer leaders, was also present.

According to farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, officials have said February 14 has been fixed for the meeting as Assembly polls are due in Delhi and the Model Code of Conduct will be in force in the capital till February 9.

When the Model Code of Conduct is in force, no government can make any announcement, Kohar said.

Sharing details about Dallewal’s health, Kohar said the farmer leader was unable to take water and had been vomiting.

Doctors have warned that anything could happen to Dallewal, he added.

Before agreeing to take medical aid, Dallewal had asked the farmer leaders to take consent from the 121 farmers who were also on an indefinite fast.

A few days ago, a group of 111 farmers and later, 10 more farmers sat on a fast-unto-death in solidarity with Dallewal.

Dallewal, who is the convenor of the SKM (Non-Political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 last year in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.

Farmers had said Dallewal had not eaten anything since November 26 last year and was just surviving on water.

Farmer leaders on Thursday said Dallewal has lost about 20-kg weight during his fast-unto-death.

The weight of Dallewal has reduced to 66.4 kg now from 86.9 kg, when he began the indefinite fast.

Farmers, under the banner of the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13 last year, after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their various demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for their crops. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Watch: Budget 2024: What’s in it for agriculture?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she has allocated about ₹ 1.50 lakh crore to the agriculture sector.

Almost all major schemes for farmers have seen an increase in allocation compared to her previous budgets. However, the fertilisers subsidy is down by about ₹1 lakh crore when compared to the actual expenditure in 2022-23. To address the price rise, the Finance Ministry has also provided ₹ 10,000 crore to the price stabilisation fund. Farmers are supposed to get a benefit of this fund. In the last budget, the allocation for this fund was just ₹ 10 lakh.

The fertilisers ministry will get about ₹1.64 lakh crore in this financial year. In 2022-23, the Ministry spent about ₹2.51 lakh crore to ensure fertilisers for farmers. It has to be seen how farmers’ organisations such as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will look into these suggestions especially when their demand for a statutory minimum support price did not find place in the this budget too.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh after the all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session, at Parliament House in New Delhi on Sunday, July 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

A day before the presentation of the Union budget, the Congress on Monday said the Centre must make three important announcements of making Minimum Support Price (MSP) a legal guarantee, fix MSP on the basis of the Swaminathan formula and establish a permanent commission to monitor the implementation of farm loan waivers.

Congress general secretary in-charge Jairam Ramesh said that of all the “failures” of the central government, the “incompetence and ill-will” of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is the most damaging.

“While the UPA had raised the MSP of wheat by 119% and that of rice by 134%, the Modi government has raised it by 47% and 50% respectively. This is not at all enough to keep up with inflation and the rising prices of agricultural inputs,” Mr. Ramesh said in a statement.

Parliament Monsoon Session 2024 LIVE

He pointed out that farmers’ debt has increased tremendously.

According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), outstanding loans have increased by 58 per cent since 2013, he said.

“More than half of the farmers are debt-ridden. Since 2014, we have seen more than 1 lakh farmers die by suicide,” Ramesh said.

“The Central Government needs to make three key announcements for farm welfare in the upcoming Budget: Raise MSP for 22 crops that come under MSP, in line with the C2+50% formula as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission,” he said.

Mr. Ramesh said the government must give a legal status to MSP and establish a system to implement it firmly, including strategic procurement, better regulation and price differential compensation.

“All it takes is determination and courage,” he said.

Farm loan waivers

Mr. Ramesh also called for the establishment of a permanent commission to assess the need for, assess the magnitude of, and monitor the implementation of farm loan waivers.

This much-needed step will provide relief to debt-ridden farmers, he said in his statement in Hindi.

“Remember that the central government has all the power to take all three of these steps. It is just waiting for the self-proclaimed non-biological Prime Minister to show some courage and give up his stubbornness and take a decision in the interest of farmers,” Ramesh said.

“In November 2021, after the withdrawal of the three black farm laws, the self-proclaimed non-biological Prime Minister had announced the formation of a committee to review matters related to MSP. It took the government eight months to form the committee – and two years later, it has still not released an interim report,” he said, attacking PM Narendra Modi.

Had the government wanted, the report would have been released by now and MSP would have gotten legal status, he argued.

The Congress government in Telangana has started waiving farm loans for farmers in the State, he said.

“This will provide relief to a total of 40 lakh farmers on loans up to Rs 2 lakh. In 2008, the UPA led by Dr. Manmohan Singh had waived off farm loans worth Rs 72,000 crore. This benefited a large number of farmers, including 54 lakh farmers of UP, 42 lakh farmers of Maharashtra, 8.9 lakh farmers of Haryana, 17.6 lakh farmers of Bihar and 6.66 lakh farmers of Jharkhand,” Ramesh said.

“The government of the non-biological Prime Minister has waived off bank loans of Rs 16 lakh crore of capitalists. But on the other hand, despite receiving a record ₹2.11 lakh crore dividend from the RBI this year, it has not waived off even a single rupee of agricultural loan of the farmers,” he alleged.

“Will the self-proclaimed non-biological prime minister, who is still recovering from the wounds of the decisive personal, political and moral defeat on June 4, take these important steps for agricultural welfare?” Ramesh said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

In a major decision, the Union Cabinet has approved a minimum support price of at least cost plus 50% for 14 crops ahead of the Kharif (summer) sowing season. The minimum support price of paddy has been increased by Rs 117, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday.  

A legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) has been a long-standing demand of farmers who have staged large-scale protests, including some held earlier this year, to press for it. The MSP decision is also significant because it comes ahead of Assembly polls in states like Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, which are scheduled to be held later this year. 

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always given preference to farmers. The first decision in the third term was taken for farmers. In today’s Cabinet meeting also, a very important decision was taken for the welfare of farmers. The Kharif season is beginning and the Cabinet has approved a minimum support price of 14 crops for the season,” Mr Vaishnaw said. 

“In the 2018 Union Budget, the government of India had taken a clear policy decision that the MSP has to be at least 1.5 times the cost of production. Today’s decision is in line with this principle. The cost has been established in a scientific manner and is based on a study by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices in various districts and tehsils across the country,” he added. 

The MSP for paddy for the season has been increased by 5.35%, or Rs 117, to Rs 2,300 per quintal and, as a comparison, the minister said the price was 1,310 in 2013-14. 

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today unveiled AAP’s ’10 guarantees’ if his party wins the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Mr Kejriwal’s assurances encompass a broad spectrum of public welfare initiatives, including pledges for free electricity and improved healthcare.

“BJP has always failed on its promises; my guarantees have proven track record,” Mr Kejriwal said. “People have to take a call whether to go for ‘Kejriwal ki Guarantee’ or ‘Modi Guarantee.”

At the forefront of Mr Kejriwal’s electoral promises is the assurance of free electricity for all, particularly targeting the economically backward sections of society. The AAP chief advocated for replicating Delhi’s model of uninterrupted power supply nationwide. 

“Out of the 10 guarantees, the first guarantee is that we will provide 24-hour electricity in the country. The country has the capacity to generate 3 lakh MW of electricity but the usage is only 2 lakh MW. Our country can produce more electricity than the demand. We have done it in Delhi and Punjab, we will do it in the country also. We will provide up to 200 units of free electricity to all the poor. It will cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore, we can arrange it,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Second on Mr Kejriwal’s poll guarantees list is revamping education in government schools. The Delhi Chief Minister claimed that Rs 5 lakh crore will be required to remedy that and that state governments and the Centre should pay Rs 2.5 lakh crore each to make up for the total cost. 

“Today, the condition of our government schools is not good. Our second guarantee is that we will arrange good and excellent free education for everyone. Government schools will provide a better education than private schools. We have done it in Delhi and Punjab. Rs 5 lakh crore will be required for this. State governments will give Rs 2.5 lakh crore and central government will give Rs 2.5 crore for this,” he said. 

The AAP national convener also put a Rs 5 lakh crore price tag to overhaul government hospitals and improve India’s healthcare infrastructure. 

“The condition of our government hospital is not good in our country. Our third guarantee is better healthcare. We will arrange good treatment for everyone. Mohalla clinics will be opened in every village, every locality. District hospital will be converted into a Multispeciality Hospital. Every person born in this country will get free treatment. Treatment will not be done on the basis of insurance as this is a big scam. We will create infrastructure. Rs 5 lakh crore rupees will be spent on healthcare,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Other guarantees on the list, according to Mr Kejriwal, are “freeing” Indian land from Chinese control, shutting down the Agniveer scheme, providing farmers MSP as per the Swaminathan Commission report and a full statehood to Delhi. 

“Our fourth guarantee is ‘Nation first’. China has occupied our land but our central govt is denying it…There is a lot of strength in our army. All the land of the country which has been occupied by China will be freed. For this, efforts will be made at the diplomatic level on one side and the Army will be given complete freedom to take whatever steps it wants to take regarding this. A scheme like Agniveer is harmful for the army and the youth are also troubled by it. The Agniveer scheme will be withdrawn,” Mr Kejriwal said. 

Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested by the probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday.

Chandigarh:

The farmers on Sunday protested against BJP candidate Dinesh Babbu in Batala and party leader Arvind Khanna in Barnala in Punjab as the party leaders continued to face their wrath over their unmet demands.

The BJP candidates and leaders have been facing protests from the farmers who have shown them black flags when they were campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.

Party candidates Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot seat, Taranjit Singh Sandhu from Amritsar and Preneet Kaur from Patiala have already witnessed the anger of the farmers.

In Fatehgarh Churian in Batala, a group of farmers on Sunday raised slogans against Mr Babbu, who is the BJP nominee from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat.

Police even tried to stop the protesters from heading towards the venue where Mr Babbu and the BJP supporters were holding an election related programme.

One of the protesters at Fatehgarh Churian said they will continue to oppose the BJP leaders.

Reacting to the protest, BJP candidate Babbu said it was only his party which can resolve their issues while the other political outfits will “use” them for their vested interests.

“We are with the farmers and I am also a farmer. Their issues can be resolved through dialogue,” said Mr Babbu.

In another incident, BJP leader Arvind Khanna faced the farmers’ protest in Barnala where he had gone to campaign.

A heavy police force was deployed and barricades were raised.

One of the woman protesters slammed the BJP government for not allowing the farmers to go towards Delhi and using “force” against them.

Another protester said they came to hold the protest against Mr Khanna in a peaceful manner but the police personnel did not allow them to move towards the venue.

Mr Khanna, however, alleged that it was not farmer outfits but the workers of the AAP who were “orchestrating” such protests.

“The farmers are either in their fields (for wheat harvesting) or mandis (for selling wheat). These outfits are the people of (chief minister) Bhagwant Mann and these are not farmers,” alleged Mr Khanna, adding that the Modi government stands by the farmers.

Meanwhile, BJP candidate from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who has also been facing farmers’ ire, said he belongs to a farming family.

He said he emphasised on increasing the income of the farmers. “I am campaigning and I will continue to do so,” he said.

The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have already said they will oppose the BJP and will ask the people to “punish” the saffron party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The farmers owing allegiance to various farm outfits are upset with the BJP-led Centre for not accepting their demands, including a law on minimum support price.

They were also angry over not being allowed to head towards Delhi, forcing them to camp at Shambhu and Khanauri border points of Punjab and Haryana.

The SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by the farmers to press the government to accept their demands which include that the Centre should give a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops.

The farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 when their march was stopped by the security forces.

The polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held in the last phase on June 1. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Amid the heat of the ongoing Lok Sabha electioneering, the Centre has announced plans to significantly increase wheat purchase from non-traditional States of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar and set a target of seven-fold jump in procurement to 50 lakh tonnes in the ongoing 2024-25 marketing year.

Further, even as the ban on outbound shipments of wheat continues, “it will be a dream for us to export now”, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra told reporters on April 4.

“U.P., Bihar, and Rajasthan have been contributing much less than they could have. We are targeting total wheat procurement of 310 lakh tonne this year. Of which, we are hoping to procure at least 50 lakh tonne from three non-traditional procurement States alone,” he said.

While Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar put together contributed only 6.7 lakh tonnes to the Central pool during the 2023-24 marketing year (April-March), the Union Food Ministry has decided to procure 16% of the total wheat procurement target of 310 lakh tonne set for 2024-25. Wheat procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is normally undertaken by the Centre’s nodal agency Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State agencies. However, cooperatives Nafed and NCCF have also been roped in with a procurement target of five lakh each this year.

Wheat MSP has been fixed at ₹2,275 per quintal for the current year. Since October, the Centre has been working with these three States to increase the procurement level. “Various steps have been taken to address the gaps and it should help boost procurement levels in three States,” he said.

Asserting that 2024 general elections is unlikely to affect wheat procurement operations, the Secretary said the increase in wheat procurement from non-traditional States will help restore allocation of wheat under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other welfare schemes.

“The allocation of wheat has been reduced to 184 lakh tonnes annually from the previous 230-240 lakh tonnes under various welfare schemes in view of lower procurement in the last two years,” he added.

Mr. Chopra also said the Centre has not directed traders to avoid buying wheat from farmers till the government completes procurement. “No such instruction has been given to traders,” he added.

Highlighting steps taken to strengthen wheat procurement in non-traditional States, the Secretary said the procurement window has been advanced/extended to March instead of April 1, set up a dedicated farmer helpline to address procurement-related queries, intensified media publicity of MSP rate, and drying facilities have been provided for early harvested crop.

Besides, the government has advanced farmer registration from January 1 instead of March 1, simplified farmers’ land record verification, including tenant farmers, given flexible procurement targets to agencies.

More importantly, the Secretary said the government has decided to ensure transfer of MSP to bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours, streamlined procurement incidental burden for farmers, smoothened banking-related issues such as Aadhaar integration with bank accounts.

“The government has also opened more procurement centres targeting production hotspots, set up mobile procurement centres, decide to leverage Self Help Groups, Panchayats, Farmer Producer Organisations,” he said.

“That apart, the government has ensured institutional preparedness through working capital to agencies to ensure payment of MSP to farmers within 48 hours,” he added.

The Secretary further mentioned that a Central control room has been set up in the FCI headquarters in Delhi for real-time monitoring of procurement ad coordination among various agencies.

According to the Food Ministry, six lakh tonnes of wheat have already been procured so far this year from six States — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. The procurement from traditional States of Punjab and Haryana will begin soon.

On prices of wheat and rice, the Secretary said wheat flour and wheat prices are stable at present after introduction of retail sale of wheat flour at ‘Bharat’ brand. About 7.06 lakh tonne of wheat flour has been sold till now.

“Even retail inflation of rice remained stable at 13% and 14% for the last two months. About 3.1 lakh tonne of FCI rice has been sold under Bharat brand since February,” he added.

Asked if the government will revisit the wheat export ban amid estimates of higher production, the Secretary said, “It’s a dream for us to export now.” The government has banned wheat exports since May 2022 to boost domestic availability and check prices.

The wheat production is estimated to be a record 112 million tonne during 2023-24, compared to last year’s 110 million tonnes as per the Agriculture Ministry.