Another sop for Chhattisgarh's farmers, state provides water for Rabi crop

Chief minister Raman Singh made the announcement during his on-going Vikas Yatra

What could be termed as another bribe for the farmers in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh, state government has announced that it will provide water for 2018-19 rabi crop.

Last year, the state government has unofficially banned sowing summer paddy following its reluctance to provide water. The state witnessed a severe drought in 2017, out of 150 tehsils in 27 districts, 96 were declared drought-hit.

Most of the dams in the state were carrying water less than 50 per cent of its capacity. As the farmers could not get water, the sowing target could not be achieved while the production of summer paddy also received a major setback.

Summer paddy is the major Rabi crop in Chhattisgarh. Known for giving better yield and insect resistance quality, it is normally sown in 200,000 hectares of land. Estimates say, there was about 70 per cent drop in the acreage.

“The state government has decided to provide water for the Rabi crops in the ensuing season 2018-19,” a state government spokesperson said. The Chief Minister, Raman Singh has made the announcement during his on-going Vikas Yatra.

This year's monsoon has filled most of the dams and reservoirs in the state. This move by the BJP-led government is also seen as another step to sway the 1.3 million farmers in the state. The party is desperately looking for a fourth term in poll-bound Chhattisgarh.

The government earlier had announced a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal for the farmers.  With the inclusion of bonus, the farmers in the state will be eligible to get Rs 2,070 for each quintal of A-grade paddy that the government will procure. For the common-grade quality, an eligible seller will get Rs 2,050 per quintal.

The state has set a target to procure 7.5 million tonnes of paddy in the kharif marketing season 2018-19.