Govt reluctant to start direct payment of MSP: Farmers’ body
We are focusing on completion of registration of mustered and wheat growers. But the decision about the payment option would be taken by the govt later. SURENDER DAHIYA, Haryana agriculture department director
KARNAL : The Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union on Tuesday said the state government was reluctant to implement the direct transfer of the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and mustered into the bank accounts of farmers.
“We are in favour of direct payment to farmers as it would help them to sell their produce at the MSP,” said Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union president Ratan Mann said.
“But the implementation of direct payment in the coming Rabi harvesting season seems difficult as the state government is under pressure of commission agents. The chief minister has also promised that the payments will be made through commission agents,” he added.
Officials in the state agriculture department, however, said that they had almost completed the registration of mustered growers under the Meri Fasal Mera Byora Scheme in which farmers were given the option to receive the MSP in their bank accounts directly, instead of routing the money through commission agents. “More than 80% registered farmers have sought the payments in their accounts and even provided their bank details, but the government has not taken any decision yet,” said a senior agriculture department officer.
Haryana agriculture department director Surender Dahiya said, “Now, we are focusing on completion of registration of mustered and wheat growers. But the decision about the payment option would be taken by the government later”.
On January 15, a delegation of commission agents held a meeting with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh and threatened to start statewide protests if the government implemented direct payment method.
The chief minister assured them that the government would continue the old practice of releasing payments to farmers through commission agents, except in cases where growers opted for receiving direct payment.