Deadline For Bonus To Farmers Extended

The government has extended until the end of June payment of bonus to farmers for the wheat it procures from them, a government statement said yesterday. In April the government had decided that farmers will be paid a central bonus of Rs 600 per tonne in addition to the minimum support price of Rs 4,150 for wheat procured for the central pool during the 1997-98 (April-March) season. The bonus was to be paid to wheat farmers who sold their produce to the government between March 17 and June 10, 1997. The statement said since wheat procurement started late this year, it had been decided to extend the deadline for payment of bonus to June 30 to provide relief to farmers who harvested their crop after the normal harvest period.