Bhopal: Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said that farmers are not required to worry about receiving the low price of wheat owing to the bumper production of wheat in this season in the state. Nath has informed that the support price of Rs 1840 per quintal has been declared for wheat by the Union Government but the State Government will procure wheat from the farmers at the rate of Rs 2,000 per quintal. This increased amount of Rs 160 per quintal will be given by the state government from its own budget. This incentive will also be given to those farmers, who will sell their wheat in mandis. There is no restriction for the farmers to sell their wheat to the government agencies to receive incentives.

The Chief Minister further stated that the Union and State Government both contribute under the Bhavantar Yojana. Therefore, the Madhya Pradesh government is making effort that difference amount of Rs 1,000 crore approximately of soybean, stopped by the Union Government should be released so that the state government could pay the same by adding its share immediately to the farmers. He mentioned that in case the Union Government does not pay that amount, even then the state government will ensure full payment of difference amount to the farmers.

Kamal Nath said that before the Vidhan Sabha elections, the previous government of the Bharatiya Janata Party had announced for giving flat difference amount of Rs 500 per quintal on soybean and maize without making any provision in the budget. The previous BJP government had been making announcements in a hope of getting fund from the Union Government. Not only this, announcement was made by the BJP Government for payment of Rs. 500 per quintal on soybean, whereas the order was issued for ‘Upto Rs. 500 per quintal’. By such action, the farmers had been misled by the previous government.

The Chief Minister has said that the announcement was also made as regard to the difference amount on maize by the previous BJP government but it has not been approved by the Union Government yet. The farmers of the state are unable to get full benefit owing to the adversary behavior of the Union Government towards the farmers. Nath mentioned that we will ensure full benefit to the farmers, despite this behavior of the Union Government.

The Chief Minister further stated that the difference amount of maize which had been calculated as Rs 219 per quintal as the difference of average model selling rate and minimum support price will be paid by increasing the amount to Rs 250 per quintal to the farmers.

The Chief Minister further said that the state government is a government of farmers. The state government has freed the farmers from the debt first to strengthen agriculture based economy of the state. The state government has started giving loan waiver certificates and citations to the farmers by waiving off the total loan of Rs 50,000 crore approximately, loan of 55 lakh farmers of upto Rs 2 lakh has been waived off. Apart from this, to facilitate farmers to obtain maximum production, arrangements have been made for free soil and seed testing facility, 50 per cent subsidy on agriculture equipments upto Rs 2 lakh and interest free loans. Besides expansion of irrigation projects, the electricity bills of farmers of upto 10 HP pumps has also been reduced to half under the Indira Kisan Jyoti Yojana. Now the farmers are required to pay Rs 700 per HP per annum in place of Rs 1400 per annum upto 10 HP

According to the Chief Minister, the state government is working with an objective to provide reasonable price to the farmers by increasing agriculture production after the loan waiver to ensure prosperity and happiness of the farmers. Agriculture produces are being procured by the state government on the support price. The state government is working rapidly to fulfill all the promises made to the farmers. He expressed confidence that the pro-farmers decisions will bring positive change in the life of the farmers.