PUNJAB GOVT TO BEAR GAP OF MOONG SOLD BELOW MSP: CM

CHANDIGARH: In a major relief for moong growers in Punjab, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced to bear the gap, upto ₹ 1,000 per quintal, for the crop sold below MSP to the farmers.

Announcing the decision here, the chief minister directed the finance department to ensure that there was no deviation and every farmer benefitted from it. He said that this incentive was being given to all the moong cultivators, including those who have already sold their crop and that necessary amendment in rules has been made in this regard.

The chief minister said that total arrival of moong in the previous year was 2.98 lakh quintal, whereas after the state government announced MSP on the crop, the arrival of moong in the current season was expected to be 4 lakh quintals. He said that at present moong was procured by Markfed for the first time as per MSP worth ₹ 7,275 per quintal but there are reports that due to crop damage, it was not being purchased on MSP.

The chief minister said that to bail out the farmers, who are not able to sell their grain on MSP, the state government is giving this incentive to them.

Giving details, he said that for crop purchased on MSP, no incentive will be given, but for the crop sold at ₹ 7,000 per quintal, an additional support incentive worth ₹ 275 per quintal is being given.

Mann said that those farmers who sold moong at ₹ 6,500 per quintal are being given ₹ 775 as incentive and those who have sold the crop at ₹ 6,000 per quintal are entitled for incentive worth ₹ 1,000 per quintal.

Keeping in view the difficulties faced by the farmers to sell the crop, the CM said that he has already approved relaxation in existing specifications for purchase of damaged moong crop. He said that maximum tolerance limit of unripe, shrivelled or immature moong has been enhanced from 3% to 8%, for damaged moong, from 3% to 6%, and for slightly damaged moong, from 4% to 7%.