To give reprieve to Moong cultivators, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced to bear the gap, up to Rs 1000 per quintal, for Moong crop sold below minimum support price (MSP) to the farmers for Moongi crop.

Announcing the decision on Saturday, the CM directed the finance department to ensure no deviation from it takes place and every farmer benefitted from it. He said that this incentive is being given to all the Moongi cultivators, including those who have already sold their crop. Mann said necessary amendment to rules has been made in this regard.

The CM said the total arrival of Moong in the Year 2021-22 was 2.98 Lakh Quintal whereas after the state government has announced MSP on the crop the arrival of Moong in the current season 2022-23 is expected to be four lakh quintals.

He said at present Moong is procured by MARKFED for the first time as per MSP worth Rs.7275 per quintal. Mann said that he had received reports that due to crop damage of crop, it was not being purchased on MSP.

The CM said that to bail out the farmers, who are not able to sell their grain on MSP, the state government is giving this incentive to them. Given details, he said that for crops purchased on MSP no incentive will be there, but for the crop sold at Rs 7000 per quintal, an additional support incentive worth Rs 275 per quintal is being given.

Mann said those farmers who sold Moongi at Rs 6,500 per quintal are being given Rs 775 as an incentive and those who have sold the crop at Rs 6000 per quintal are entitled to an incentive worth Rs 1000 per quintal.

Keeping in view the difficulties faced by the farmers to sell the crop, the CM said he has already approved relaxation in existing specifications for the purchase of damaged moong crop.

He said the maximum limit tolerance of unripe, shriveled, or immature Moongi has been enhanced to three to eight percent, that of damaged Moongi has been increased from three to six percent and that of slightly damaged Moongi has been relaxed from four to seven percent.

Mann expressed hope that these initiatives will give much-needed succour to the hard-working and resilient farmers of the state who have made the country self-reliant in food production by contributing immensely to the national food kitty.