Bhopal, March 24 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar on Tuesday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, highlighting the challenges being faced by farmers in the state and demanding immediate action.​

Congress leader Singhar urged the Chief Minister to fix the wheat procurement price for farmers at Rs 3,000 per quintal and extend the loan repayment deadline to April 30.​

In his letter, Singhar mentioned that farmers in Madhya Pradesh are currently grappling with a severe economic crisis and that the state government should therefore take concrete steps with sensitivity and empathy.​

The letter notes that the wheat procurement process in the state, conducted through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and cooperative societies, commences on April 1, whereas the deadline for farmers to repay their loans is currently set for March 31.​

Consequently, farmers face immense pressure to repay their loans even before they have had the opportunity to sell their produce.​

He pointed out that the loan repayment deadline had previously been extended to April 30, providing farmers with ample time to sell their harvest and utilise the proceeds to settle their debts.​

However, last year, this deadline was changed to March 31. As a result, numerous farmers were unable to repay their loans on time and were subsequently declared defaulters.​

Singhar demanded that the government permanently reinstate April 30 as the deadline for farmers’ loan repayment, replacing the current March 31 deadline.​

Furthermore, he demanded relief measures, such as loan waivers or special concessions, to be extended to farmers declared defaulters solely due to this change in the repayment deadline.​

“The Congress party will request Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to acknowledge the gravity of the farmers’ plight and take prompt and appropriate decisions to provide them with the necessary relief,” he wrote.​

It is worth mentioning that wheat procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,625 per quintal (including a Rs 40 bonus over the Rs 2,585 MSP) in the state will begin from April 1.​

–IANS

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