Seeking to reassure farmers, government on Friday said it will buy even the inferior quality wheat at support price and also give compensation to those whose crop has been affected up to two hectares.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited some hailstorm-hit areas and met affected farmers in Bundelkhand region, said the Centre has recently changed the quality norms for wheat procurement and raised the compensation for farmers.
Now, those farmers whose crops are damaged up to 33 per cent will be entitled for compensation. Earlier it was limited up to 50 per cent. “Our government has made changes in the norms to purchase shrivelled grains and tweaked the standards on moisture content to help the farmers,” he said interacting with farmers and agricultural labourers at Banda in Uttar Pradesh.
The move is aimed at ensuring that wheat farmers get the full minimum support price (MSP) of Rs. 1,450 per quintal. The compensation in such cases will be paid from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
According to the new norms, farmers in rain-fed areas will be eligible to claim assistance — in the form of input subsidy — of Rs. 6,800 per hectare, compared to the current Rs. 4,500. Compensation for crops in areas with assured irrigation has been increased from Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 13,500 per hectare, and that for perennial (horticultural) crops from Rs. 12,000 to 18,000 per hectare. The relief is subject to a cap of two hectares per farmer.
