‘Centre’s crop insurance payment formula unacceptable’

With the issue likely to assume a more grim nature,owing to its both emotional and political appeal and Congress leaders trying to reach out to the farmers in other regions of the state as well,Bokhiria decided to reach out to the Centre over the issue.

Bokhiria,who himself hails from Porbander in the Saurashtra belt,may now have to face tough questions on the issue. Lakhs of groundnut and cotton farmers have been hit due to their kharif crops failing to yield good produce due to scanty rainfall in Saurashtra in 2012. In his letter to Pawar,Bokhiria questioned the formula suggested by the Centre for the insurance payment. The Union agriculture ministry is reported to have suggested to pay 50 per cent of the insured amount to all farmers across the board irrespective of the fact whether their crop was damaged fully,partially or not at all.

Taking objection to a “common formula” for all farmers for arriving at the quantum of payment,Bokhiria has pointed out that it will harm farmers who suffered a total loss of crops. “The payment should be based on the actual loss,” he is reported to have pointed out in his letter.

Maintaining that the “centre’s formula is not acceptable”,Bokhiria said that the state government was ready to pay any amount decided by the Centre,based on the actual loss of crops.

Bokhiria has also separately appealed to Congress MPs from the state to take up the issue with PM Manmohan Singh and Pawar to come out with a proper formula for crop insurance payment for farmers in Gujarat.

When contacted,Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Raj Kumar said that the insurance scheme was farmer-oriented,but the same formula could not be applied for everyone.