Sonia writes to Paswan to relax wheat procurement norms

A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi wrote to food and public distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan to relax the regulations for procuring wheat in view of the unseasonal rains, the minister said on Tuesday: “We are ready to relax the quality norms for procurement of wheat and other grains to provide relief to the farmers.”

Over the past few weeks, Gandhi has visited Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh to meet growers affected by the unseasonal rains and hail storms.

In her letter to Paswan, Gandhi said: "This extraordinary situation calls for a suspension of regulations, which are enforceable in ordinary conditions. Hence, I request the government to relax specifications, specifically with regard to moisture content, for procurement."

Citing the track record of the United Progressive Alliance government in the past, Gandhi said it had ensured exemptions for farmers during such grave occasions. "I hope your ministry would do the same and provide requisite directives at the earliest," she said in the letter.

Political observers view Gandhi's action as a precursor to Congress' much-hyped Kisan rally in Delhi on later this month to protest the land acquisition Bill.

On minimum support price (MSP), Gandhi said: "Though the MSP fixed by the government does not reflect true costs, a complete denial of MSP will compound the existing problems for our farmers".

According to Food Corporation of India's quality guidelines, if the moisture content in the Rabi wheat crop exceeds 14 per cent, such wheat would be rejected. If the moisture content is between 12 and 14 per cent, farmers would get a lower price.