Amid Lockdown Extension, UP Farmers Hope For Profit In Harvest Season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 while assuring safeguards for the farmers in the middle of the Rabi or winter crop harvest.

Hours after the Prime Minister's address, the Uttar Pradesh government confirmed that the procurement of the Rabi crop by state and private players would begin as scheduled on Wednesday.

Around 5,500 wheat procurement centres are being set up across the state by the Uttar Pradesh government, where farmers can transport their produce and also sell grain at the government-mandated Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 19.25 per kg.

The state government said the private players can procure grain directly from villages but there are strict orders in place that prices offered shall match or be over the government-ordered MSP.

"There will be strict monitoring through district level agriculture officials. Procurement should happen while keeping social distancing measures in mind and sanitisers should be used. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has ordered the grain should reach the market without any problems," said Awanish Awasthi, senior UP government official in Lucknow.

But, in villages like Aseni, a gram panchayat in Barabanki, about 30 km from state capital Lucknow, farmers like Surjit Kumar Yadav are worried. Mr Surjit, who finished harvesting the wheat in his fields on Monday, said most farmers in his village prefer to sell their produce to private traders who set up shops in a small settlement a few km from the village. This year, they may even come home, he added, saying, but, the big worry is whether they will be willing to match the government-mandated MSP.

" They are offering Rs 16 per kg. I checked yesterday," said Mr Surjit .

"All other sources of employment have gone. The farmer is dependent on selling his grain . If we get a good price, it will help us a lot," he added.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, had earlier, flagged the same concern in an interview to NDTV. "80 percent of the harvest is done in many areas. The challenge before various state governments is to ensure that farmers are able to sell produce at the right price. An advisory is in place that farmers should also be able to sell from their doorstep," said Mr Tomar.

However, the issue over the rabi harvest isn't the only worry on the state government's plate. After the harvest season, the government will need to attend to the upcoming Kharif or monsoon sowing crops to ensure proper sowing and availability of fertilizer and farm labour.