Announcing that Punjab Government would bear the value cut for wheat crops announced by the Centre a day before, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asserted that the farmers would get full money for their produce.
 
“Instead of requesting the Centre for compensating the farmers for crop loss due to rains, the State Government will bear the entire expense of the burden being faced by the farmers due to the cut being imposed by the Government of India (GOI) on damaged wheat grain,” said the Chief Minister, while addressing the gathering after unveiling the statue of eminent freedom fighter Comrade Teja Singh Sutantar.
 
He asserted, “We are not going to request the Centre to not impose the cut but we will extract compensation for the interests of farmers when Centre will seek supply of grains in terms of wheat and paddy for the national food pool.”
 
The Chief Minister said that the farmers have suffered huge loss due to incessant rains but the “indifferent” Central Government has not done anything to bail them out. “Rather, to rub salt into wounds of farmers, the Centre has imposed a cut on the damaged, slightly damaged, shriveled, and broken grains along with those having high moisture content. The limit of shriveled and broken grains has been relaxed up to 18 per cent under uniform specifications,” he said.
 
Mann had also announced the move through Twitter. “Due to the presence of moisture and smaller grain, the Centre has ordered a value cut in the price of wheat. The state government will bear this. Farmers will not be allowed to face any problems. We are standing with them in this difficult time,” he tweeted in Punjabi. With Mann’s announcement, the farmers would get Rs 2,125 per quintal as the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat.
 
Giving more details during his address, the Chief Minister said that the value cut is not applicable on wheat having shriveled and broken grains up to six per cent whereas value cut of Rs 5.31 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above six per cent and upto eight per cent. Further, he said that the value cut of Rs 10.62 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above eight per cent and up to 10 per cent whereas value cut of Rs 15.93 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 10 per cent and up to 12 per cent.
 
Similarly, Mann said that in an arbitrary decision, the Centre has further decided to impose value cut of Rs 21.25 per quintal on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 12 per cent and up to 14 per cent, adding that value cut of Rs 26.56 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 14 per cent and up to 16 per cent whereas value cut of Rs 31.87 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 16 per cent and upto 18 per cent.
 
Likewise, the Chief Minister further said that as per decision of centre value cut is not applicable on wheat having luster loss grains upto 10%. He said that a value cut of Rs. 5.31 per quintal on a flat basis will be deducted on wheat having luster loss grains above 10% and upto 80%. Bhagwant Mann said that already the centre has not released the share of state under GST and RDF adding that much to the dismay of the state now this decision has been imposed on the farmers of the state, who were already in crisis due to inclement weather.
 
Urging the farmers not to worry, the Chief Minister said that the State Government is competent to secure the rights of the farmers and they will not beg the Centre to help the food growers. However, he said that instead of bailing the farmers in this hour of crisis, the Centre has decided to impose a cut on damaged, slightly damaged, shriveled and broken grains. “But, the state is solidly with the farmers in this grave situation and the Punjab Government will bear the entire expenditure for the loss being suffered by the farmers due to cut by the Centre,” he said.
 
The Chief Minister asserted that in a major relief to the farmers of the state, the State Government has already announced 25 per cent upward revision in the compensation for the crop loss to the farmers. “In case, the loss is more than 75 per cent, the State Government will compensate the farmers with Rs 15,000 per acre,” he said.
 
The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on Tuesday announced a relaxation in quality norms for wheat procurement with a deduction in the produce value depending on the quantity of shriveled grains and lustre loss. The Centre’s move drew sharp reaction from farm unions and commission agents in Punjab who termed it a double whammy for farmers saying that they would organize a massive protest if the decision was not rolled back immediately.