Farmers' issues that need urgent attention from Nirmala Sitharaman

Remunerative prices, better availability of fertilisers and faster enrollment in the PM Kisan scheme are some of the demands that the farmers from the heartland of India, Madhya Pradesh, have from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2020-21.

For 35-year-old Bherulal Bhati, the wheat crop he is cultivating now is the only the hope for some income this year. His earlier produce of wheat, which was stored at home after harvest, was spoilt by floods that had hit the Mandsaur region in September. More than half of his next crop of soyabean was rotten in the fields itself.

“There was a gush of water from the neighbouring village, everything was wasted. Not once or twice, my house has been flooded four times till December,” Bahti said.

With no compensation yet from the government, farmers like Bherulal hope that their remaining produce gets remunerative prices.

“We want to get fair rates for our crops so that even if we lose some produce we don’t suffer huge losses. But, the government societies don’t procure much wheat from us. This year we didn’t even get the CM’s bonus on wheat,” he added.

While the central government has brought in direct benefit transfer (DBT) in fertiliser and urea subsidy, farmers in Mandsaur say unavailability of subsidised fertilisers and urea in co-operative societies is the bigger issue.

“It will be a big support if we get subsidised urea and seeds on time. This time urea is just not available, I have bought 2-3 bags from the black market. They only give 1 bag per farmer and that is not enough.”

Om Prakash Meena, another farmer who cultivates wheat on adjoining fields, also has a same complaint as Bhati.

“This has been an issue for last 3 years. Urea is just not available. Farmers are struggling to get in from Rajathan, Maharashtra or wherever. All this is from the black market and is much more expensive. There is no supply in co-operative societies,” said Meena.

Since the state was a late entrant in the central government's flagship PM KISAN scheme, the awareness and expanse of the coverage has been slow, from Mandsaur to Panna in Bundelkhand.

Krishna Ram from Panna, said: “I have received the first installment of Rs2,000, awaiting the remaining amount, but it is not enough. If they give full Rs6,000 at once it still is helpful, I can make some of my payments or repay part of my loans.”

Many others in the region had not received any payment despite multiple online attempts and resubmission of documents.

“Officers say it will come, but I keep checking my account and it hasn’t reached me. I have made my submissions thrice but not benefitted, said Samrath Tiwari.

Another worry for the farmers in Panna is water supply. A proper irrigation programme for the region is the biggest demand of farmers from Panna in this Budget, he said.

While bonuses and compensations have yet not reached many, in regions like Sagar, farmers say even the payments under Bhaavantar Bhgtan Yojna has not been coming.

Bhaavantar yojna was a flagship price support scheme of the former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and farmers across the state have been complaining of a patchy implementation of the minimum support price scheme since the government changed in late 2018.

Prem Katare Patel, a 40-year-old farmer from Sagar, said: “Unseasonal rainfall in November spoilt most of my crops. Whatever little I sold was not on minimum support price (MSP), but I still haven’t received the balance payment under the Bhaavantar scheme.”

Tomato farmers in the region demand a small ketch-up plant in the region to get a ready market and, hence good price support for their crop.

-With inputs from Narendra Dhanotiya in Mandsaur, Sanjay Tiwari in Panna and Rachit Dube in Sagar