Chandigarh, April 22
A mess created on the wheat price front by the Union Government has obviously harmed the interest of a substantial number of farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Union Government took too long to announce Rs 50 as bonus on wheat over and above the minimum support price of Rs 650 per quintal. And that delay in making the announcement for bonus by the Union Government, which was aware in March that private traders will be on a wheat buying spree in a big way during this wheat arrival season, has caused financial loss to farmers.

Most of the farmers have already sold out their wheat. Of the 65 lakh tonnes of wheat which arrived in various markets till last evening in Punjab, private traders had bought about 6.10 lakh tonnes of the wheat from farmers by offering rates between Rs 655 and Rs 670 per quintal during the past two weeks.

However, the official rate of the wheat in Punjab has become Rs 700 per quintal now because of the addition of Rs 50 as bonus in the MSP that was Rs 650 per quintal. And that price will be given to farmers, who have sold wheat to government agencies, with retrospect effect that is from April 1. Farmers, who have sold their produce to private traders, will not be entitled to that bonus. Only those, who have sold wheat to government agencies will be entitled to the bonus.

And the purchase of 6.10 lakh tonnes of wheat by private traders is on record of various grain markets . Besides traders also bought wheat in substantial quantity from villages which is not on record on grain markets. Traders buy wheat direct from farmers in villages to avoid payment of various levies and taxes. The delay caused by the Union Government to pay bonus and failure of the Punjab Government to lobby for payment of bonus at an appropriate time has forced farmers to sell wheat to private traders who lured them by paying little more than that of the MSP.

Informed sources said that there was a lot of resentment among such farmers now. In certain grain markets of Sangrur, farmers today did not allow the procurement of wheat because they wanted that the government should also pay bonus to farmers who sold their wheat to private traders at a price less than Rs 700 per quintal. If the government is unable to pay, then it should tell private traders, whose record of purchase of wheat is available with the Mandi Board, to compensate farmers.

In Haryana also traders have bought substantial quantity of wheat especially from markets which are closer to Delhi. The same is true in the case of Western Uttar Pradesh. How the Hooda Government will compensate farmers, who have sold wheat to private trades, remains to be seen.

And there is another development. For the past a few days, traders have started resorting to forward trading of wheat in Punjab. They have booked wheat stock with farmers at a price between Rs 750 and Rs 900 per quintal with the condition that they (traders) would lift these stock from farmers at the booked rates in November. Traders are expecting by November the price of wheat in the open market will be in the range of Rs 1,000 per quintal and it would be a good time for them to make a fast buck.

Meanwhile, Mr Prem Singh Chanumajra, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) said the bonus announced on wheat was not enough. Similar views were expressed by Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, General Secretary of the BKU. Both leaders in separate statements said the state government should act immediately to get those farmers compensated who sold wheat to private traders at a price less than Rs 700 per quintal.