Relief for UP farmers: Wheat procurement norms relaxed, can sell produce at govt centres without registry

Lucknow, April 20 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday announced a waiver for the ‘unregistered’ wheat-producing farmers to approach the government procurement centres and sell their farm produce, officials said. 

The move is seen as a big relief for a large section of the farming community, as this forgoes the existing condition of first getting themselves registered at government-run centres for selling farm produce.

According to the officials privy to the order, the farmers will not need a ‘farm registry’ to become eligible, and they can proceed in the same manner before the new procurement system kicks in.

The District Magistrates across the state have also been instructed to implement the directives with immediate effect and facilitate “easy procurement” for all.

The decision was apparently taken after multiple reports of inconveniences and troubles faced by the farmers surfaced.

The directive is set to benefit those farmers and villages the most, where ‘Chakbandi’ (land consolidation) is underway. Many of them failed to obtain their ‘farmer registry’ certificates due to the ongoing process in the respective Gram Panchayats.

In light of the restrictions, the farmers were unable to transport their wheat produce to government-operated centres and were compelled to sell their harvest to middlemen at very low prices, raising their distress.

As a lot of farmers vented their frustration, the administration sensed the gravity of the situation and announced the relaxation, allowing them, particularly those affected by ‘Chakbandi’, to stick to the old system of wheat procurement.

The objective behind this ‘waiver’ to wheat-producing farmers is to ensure that they don’t run from pillar to post for selling their harvest and get treatment, at par with the registered farmers, in getting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crop.

With the state government relaxing norms, they will now have the flexibility of taking their produce to government procurement centres -- by following the previously established procedure and fetching the right price for their agricultural yield.

--IANS

mr/dpb