The Congress and BJP in Madhya Pradesh are at odds over the state government’s decision to change wheat procurement dates at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The government has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) rescheduling procurement in certain divisions. Initially set for March 16, the procurement dates were pushed to April 1 and now further delayed to April 10 and April 15 in different divisions.
State Congress leaders criticized the BJP government, claiming that delays in procurement have put farmers in distress, leading them to sell their crops at lower rates. Congress President Jitu Patwari highlighted that farmers are struggling to repay loans taken for agricultural purposes due to the delays, pushing them to sell below MSP rates to meet loan deadlines.
In response, BJP’s Kisan Morcha head Jaipal Singh Chavda defended the government, citing a shortage of polymers from West Asia affecting the availability of bags for grain packaging. He mentioned that the Centre allocated additional jute bags to Madhya Pradesh to address the issue. Chavda assured that the BJP government is dedicated to purchasing every wheat grain from farmers at Rs 2,625 per quintal.
