Munendra Bagri, a 48-year-old farmer from Madhya Pradesh’s Masanha village in Satna district looked shattered as he stood at the grain purchasing centre, situated about four kilometres from his village.
“I waited for three days for my stock to be bought at the centre. I was afraid for my yield of sixty quintals (6 tonnes) as there was no arrangement for protecting the grain if it rained. That is just what happened on May 7. All my effort to cultivate this crop is worthless now,” the dejected farmer told Gaon Connection.
The India Meteorological Centre in Bhopal had issued a weather bulletin about rainfall in many districts across Madhya Pradesh. Gaon Connection learnt that nothing was done to save the farmers’ yield of wheat kept outside purchasing centres in the state’s Satna and Rewa districts.
“This isn’t the first time rains have spoiled my yield at the purchasing centre. Last year, my losses were worse,” Bagri added.
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Last year’s damage that the 48-year-old farmer rued about was recorded in a total of 53 purchasing centres across the state. In 2019-20, 110 centres were opened, but 53 centres had no warehouse or a roofed structure to protect the yield from rain or hailstorm.
Official records show that a total of 40,000 tonnes of wheat had to be procured at these centres, but 75 per cent or 30,000 tonnes of the grain was damaged in rain last year.
On May 7, Amarpatan, Rampur Baghelan, Uchehra and Meher blocks of Satna districts witnessed maximum rainfall. In Amarpatan alone, farmers alleged that at least 100 trolleys of wheat grain was damaged due to rain. Things are similar in Rewa district, which witnessed hailstorms and rain.
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Asked about damage to the wheat yield, Vikhyat Hindolia, Satna District Manager, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, told the media that there was no official estimate.
Gaon Connection called up the official, but there was no response.
“We had almost sixty quintals (6 tonnes) of wheat, but it got damaged at the purchasing centre as there was no provision for protecting it from the rain. I couldn’t even unload the yield from my trolley. I was told there were no gunny bags. What is my fault in this?” 53-year-old Harihar Prasad from Rewa district’s Baikunthpur village told Gaon Connection.
“There are no set rules and regulations to protect farmers’ interests,” Prasad rued.
Meanwhile, Indrajit Pathak, district president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, reiterated to Gaon Connection that gunny bags were not available for purchasing and storing farmers’ yield.
“All the shops are also shut due to Corona curfew, and the farmers have no place left to sell their produce. There is a ban on gatherings. Otherwise, we would have blocked the roads in protest. Also, every year, farmers’ yield gets spoiled due to rains at the purchasing centres, why are lessons not learnt?” said Pathak.
