MP's low wheat supply may hit ITC, Hindustan Lever

Things do not augur well for big firms manufacturing atta in MP. Madhya Pradesh farmers will not be able to feed their atta mills sufficiently because wheat output is likely to fall sharply by 30-50 per cent. Big corporate houses like Hindustan Lever, Cargill, and ITC procure wheat from local markets.

Last year, according to government sources, these companies procured roughly 6 million tonnes from Madhya Pradesh. As a result wheat prices flared up at Rs 3,600 per quintal.

Although the state government says wheat production is likely to dip by 5-15 per cent from the targeted 9 million tonnes from 4.4 million hectares this year, farmers of Hoshangabad district (one of the prime wheat-producing districts) (in the regions of Babai, Dongarwara, Nimsandia, Barangi, Kivlari, Guramkhedi, and Sohagpur) say the production is likely to dip by 50 per cent.

Due to acute power shortage and the poor maintenance of power transformers, coupled with fertiliser crisis (particularly urea), wheat production is likely to be restricted at 10-12 quintals per acre, against 18-20 quintals per acre of the previous year.

Despite tall claims of government officials, power is hardly available in these villages and whatever is available is on a single phase, which does not support even a 5 HP irrigation motor.

"Wheat output is unlikely to go even up to 12 quintals per acre this year because there is no power and whatever is available is low-frequency, which keeps power transformers non-functional. The state electricity board asks Rs 5,000 from farmers to replace transformers that get burnt-out due to connected load," said farmer Pancham Singh (of Kivlary village in Hoshangabad district), who claimed to have done his masters in commerce and graduation in law from nearby Sohagpur College in 1978.

He found farming more lucrative than joining any white-collar job. Now he repents: "Had I taken up a government job I might have been earning more."

The combined area for cultivation of the village is roughly 1,200 acres. Last year the wheat yield was 20-22 quintals per acre.

Another farmer Lakhan Lal, who preferred farming at home in Nim Sandia village to a government job after completing post-graduation in history from Hoshangabad Collage, said: "None can revive the wheat crop now. The fields are almost dry because though power supply is in order transformers are not maintained. Fields now have a desert-like look since we failed to irrigate them due to power shortage and those irrigated are drying due to fertiliser shortage."

Farmers said that state power board employees are not seen even during the peak season and their demand regarding transformers fell on deaf ears.

Villages of Sohagpur, Babai, Piparia, and Itarsi have agri-climatic conditions and soil that suit crops like wheat and gram and horticulture products like guava, mango, papaya and sapota.