Will Chhattisgarh farmers get higher MSP for paddy as per poll promises?

Raipur: Leelaram Chandrakar has grown paddy on 18 acres but is not in a hurry to sell his produce even though ‘dhaan’ procurement at MSP began in the state on November 1.

Chandrakar from Savani village in Patan assembly constituency of Durg district is among lakhs of farmers in Chhattisgarh who have held on to their paddy stock.

According to political observers, promises of higher minimum support prices (MSP) for paddy by political parties during electioneering and festivals are among the key factors that have affected the pace of paddy sales in the ongoing kharif marketing season.

Between November 1 and November 28, about 13.21 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was purchased from 3,17,223 farmers, which is less than the quantity procured in the last kharif season in the state.

In the previous kharif season (2022-23), 5.42 lakh farmers had sold 19.3 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from November 1 to November 29, they said.

The state has set a target to purchase 130 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the current kharif marketing season and set up 2,739 procurement centres for it, a government official told PTI on Wednesday.

The procurement drive, which started on November 1, will continue till January 31 next year.

Around 26.87 lakh farmers have registered to sell their produce this time, he said.

The incumbent Congress government had been purchasing paddy at MSP fixed by the Centre, which is about Rs 2,200 for this season, and giving an input subsidy of Rs 9,000 per acre to paddy growers. It had hiked the limit of purchase from 15 quintals per acre to 20 quintals per acre for the ongoing kharif season and the decision also featured in its poll manifesto.

Congress has promised that farmers will get Rs 3,200 per quintal for paddy if it retains power in the state. It has also tried to woo growers with the promise of a loan waiver, also announced by it in 2018.

If it is voted to power in the state, the opposition BJP has said, it will launch the ‘Krishi Unnati Scheme’ under which 21 quintals of paddy per acre will be procured from farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal.

However, neither party has clarified that the higher paddy price will be applicable from which crop season.

Elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly were held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will be done on December 3.

Chandrakar from Savani village said most of the farmers in their area have not sold their paddy produce as they are waiting for the formation of the new government.

BJP has also promised that the payment against paddy procurement will be done in one go. This is a departure from the current practice under which payments calculated as per the Centre-decided MSP are cleared in one tranche and anything over and above it is paid as input subsidy through instalments.

“So, farmers are waiting till December 3 when poll results will be out,” said Chandrakar, who cultivates paddy on 18 acres of land and is yet to sell his produce.

Not more than one per cent of farmers have sold their paddy in the cooperative society (procurement centre) located in his village, he added.

High moisture content is also a reason this time for the delay in crop harvesting. Paddy with moisture content up to 17 per cent is admissible in the procurement centres, Chandrakar added.

Echoing similar views, Bhikham Patel from Rauta village in Durg district said that apart from election promises, festivals like Diwali in November also affected paddy harvesting as farmers were busy with celebrations.

Patel cultivates paddy in 26 acres of land and so far he has sold his produce grown on only 7.5 acres.

He said farmers are also in a dilemma thinking that procurement centres will accept 21 quintals per acre if BJP wins. If they sell their paddy at the present cap of 20 quintals per acre ahead of poll results, then they would incur losses.

Political expert RS Krishna Das said a similar situation of slow pace of paddy procurement was witnessed during the 2018 polls when Congress had promised Rs 2,500 MSP per quintal of paddy and a loan waiver.

This time too farmers are waiting for the election results, he said. However, political parties have not mentioned in their manifestos that higher prices against paddy purchase will be given from which kharif season, he added.