Haryana’s big relief to farmers: No interest on crop loans

This time, Haryana has allocated nearly Rs 7,571 crore for agriculture and allied sectors and cooperation department for the upcoming financial year which is an increase of 38.9 per cent over the revised estimates of Rs 5,449 crore of the current financial year.

On the issue of the MSP, the Chief Minister said that over the last three years, the government has procured 14 crops at the MSP making the payments directly into the accounts of the farmers.

“The farmers of Haryana have been provided a safety net for their produce whether in the form of procurement, price support or compensation for damage,” the CM said.

In kharif and rabi 2023, the CM said the government has made a payment of Rs 29,876 crore directly into the accounts of farmers apart from providing Rs 178 crore directly into farmers accounts under a scheme.

The CM also referred to the Bhavantar Bharpai Scheme which was implemented in 2018 for four vegetable crops – potato, onion, cabbage and tomato. Till now, 21 vegetables and fruits have been covered under the scheme. With this scheme, the government wants to address seasonal fluctuations in prices of key vegetables. An incentive of Rs 41 crore was provided to 6,868 farmers in 2023-24 under the scheme.

However, senior farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni claims that only two crops — wheat and paddy — are effectively purchased on MSP while sugarcane is purchased at a fair and remunerative price (FRP) in the state. The farmer leaders are not happy with the state government’s Bhavantar Bharpai Scheme (meant to offer “input cost”) insisting for implementation of the MSP for all crops on the ground that they get too little incentive under the Bhavantar scheme.

On the other hand, a committee of Congress leaders headed by former Haryana Chief Minister Bupinder Singh Hooda, during the party’s Raipur convention in 2023, had proposed a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) of crops and a loan waiver to the farmers.

In a draft, the committee had stated: “The farmers will be given MSP with legal guarantee under C2 formula of Swaminathan Commission. Not only loan waiver, the party would work towards complete debt relief of farmers and making agriculture a profitable business.”

In the Assembly, Khattar said on Friday that the government has taken various measures for the benefit of the farmers as a result of which agricultural production has grown at 8.1 per cent in 2023-24, amongst the highest in the country.