Empowering financial aid, Maharashtra extends a helping hand towards ‘tur’ farmer

NewsBharati    06-Jun-2018
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Mumbai, June 6: Following the footsteps of Madhya Pradesh, the state of Maharashtra has decided that it will pay Rs 1,000 per quintal to tur and chana growers. The government will pay to those whose tur and chana production could not be purchased by the administration before the May 31 deadline. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The government has taken an important decision for farmers. We will provide a financial grant of Rs 1000 per quintal for farmers, subject to verifications, whose tur and chana were not purchased by us.”

The state government had set up tur procurement target of 44.6 lakh quintals. Farmers in Maharashtra like their counterparts from other states have been demanding better remunerative price for their produce, a complete loan waiver. The Centre had extended the deadline for tur procurement in Maharashtra till May 31 this year.

 

Both the pulses have traded below their respective MSPs of Rs 5,400 and Rs 4,400 per quintal. Low prices have dogged both tur and chana growers in Maharashtra throughout the season. Last year’s stock and low uptake are being blamed for the price slide.

In view of the low prices, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) had started procurement of both the pulses. Maharashtra was to see procurement of 4.47 lakh tonnes of tur and 3 lakh tonnes of chana under the scheme. The scheme had called for compulsory registration of farmers who were to be given a date and time when they could sell the product. Farmers were assured of the MSP, which was to be paid to them within 48 hours.

 

By May end, Maharashtra had recorded procurement of around 1 lakh tonnes of chana and around 3.24 lakh tonnes of tur. The absence of storage space had prevented Maharashtra from meeting its quota, through procurement of tur was extended by a month.

 

It is estimated that tur farmers have lost as much as Rs 1,060 crore due to failure in meeting the procurement figure. Chana growers, too, faced a similar loss. The government had started purchasing tur from farmers by offering them guaranteed rates following bumper tur production.

 

Fadnavis said the government would also give a financial aid of Rs 160 crore to farmers whose crops got damaged due to unseasonal rains or hailstorms.