Haryana to ask Centre not to impose value cut

Haryana will demand from the Centre not to impose value cut on shrivelled grains and luster lost wheat, saying that they already distressed because of crop damage caused by the recent freak weather conditions.
"We are taking up the matter with the Centre tomorrow not to impose value cut on crop as farmers in Haryana are already facing difficult times and they should not be at the receiving end at this point of time," a senior official of Haryana Food and Supplies department told PTI here today.
Food and Supplies Minister Ram Bilas Sharma along with Additional Chief Secretary Food and Supplies S S Prasad will meet Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan tomorrow in Delhi.

The official further said that "It is almost impractical to levy value cut as it is difficult to segregate bags of affected crop arriving in the mandis."
Centre today relaxed wheat procurement norms for Haryana, wherein the limit of shrivelled and broken grains is relaxed up to 9 per cent against the existing limit of 6 per cent under uniform specifications with half value cut imposed in such a manner that for every relaxation of 2 per cent or part thereof, one full value cut at a rate of Rs 14.50 per quintal will be applied.
In case of lustre loss, wheat containing more than 10 per cent and up to 50 per cent affected kernels may be purchased with one fourth of one full value cut on flat basis at rate of Rs 3.63 per quintal, Centre said while giving relaxation.

In its interim report submitted to Union Food Ministry, Food Corporation of India (FCI) found damage content in wheat crop in the range of 2.5 per cent to 11 per cent, shrivelled grain and broken grain in the range of 3-13 per cent and lustre lost in the range of 20-60 per cent in Haryana.

Moreover, the state government will also seek the limit for shrivelled grains should also be raised more in the wake of crop coming up with more than 9 per cent limit.
FCI found 10-11 per cent of shrivelled gains and broken grain in majority of districts in its wheat sample collected.

Haryana government had projected loss in wheat crop over 18 lakh hectares out of total sown area of 25 lakh hectares because of rain and hailstorm.
Haryana has scaled down its wheat procurement target by 13 per cent to 65 lakh tonnes for Rabi marketing season 2015-16.
Earlier, crop purchase was projected at 75 lakh tonnes.
From current rabi marketing season 2015-16, central agency Food Corporation of India is not buying crop from Haryana. The wheat stock is being bought by state-owned procurement agencies.