Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra also calls for compensating farmers of four districts for extremely low yields due to unseasonal rains
Also asks centre to review value cut imposed on shrivelled grain
Chandigarh, May 02, 2020: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to bear the cost of the value cut imposed on shrivelled grains in Punjab from the State Disaster Management fund even as it asked the State to compensate farmers for extremely low wheat yields due to excessive rain in Patiala, Ropar, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. It simultaneously asked the centre to review the value cuts imposed on the shrivelled grain keeping in view the losses suffered by the farmers of the four districts due to unseasonal rain.
Disclosing this in a statement here, former MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra also asked the State to pursue the case for removing value cuts aggressively with the centre and in the meantime extend much needed relief to the farmers.
Prof Chandumajra said farmers of the four districts had been served a double whammy. He said at many places in these districts farmers had experienced yields of five to six quintals per acre against the average yield of 20 to 22 quintals per acre due to heavy rains in March and April. He said due to this wheat grain had shrivelled at these places. He said though the wheat was being procured now, farmers were being forced to accept a value cut of Rs 24 per quintal for 16 per cent shrivelled grain.
The former MP said the Punjab government should take up the issue with the centre and take permission for compensating farmers from the State Disaster Management Fund. He said as much as Rs 6,000 crore had accumulated in this fund and since farmers were also suffering due to a natural calamity they should be compensated for the same.
Prof Chandumajra said the process of compensation should start with ordering of girdwari in the four districts to access the losses. He said if this was to done the entire economy of the four districts, which was dependent on agriculture, would be affected seriously.