Is toxic weedicide only reason MP govt is refusing to procure moong at MSP?
A major political row involving farmers has erupted in Madhya Pradesh, with the state government refusing to buy moong at MSP (Minimum Support Price) this year.The MSP for moong this year is Rs 8,682 per quintal, around Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 per quintal higher than market prices. For the past few years, the state's farmers, especially those along the Narmada in the central region, have been sowing moong as a short summer crop between the major rabi and kharif seasons.advertisementThe summer moong, sown over 1.2 million-1.4 million hectares, is known to have added to farm incomes in the districts of Narmadapuram, Raisen, Sehore, Vidisha, Jabalpur, Katni, Harda and Narsinghpur.The state government had been procuring the summer moong crop for the past four years. But last week, agriculture production commissioner Ashok Barnwal announced moong won't be purchased as, in his words, it is mostly contaminated with harmful weedicides.
What is the role of weedicides in moong cultivation, and is that the real reason why the government decided not to buy it?The summer moong crop is sown in late March-early April as soon as the wheat crop has been harvested. Irrigation is provided through tubewells, or through dams, for which the water resources department especially releases water to support the crop.advertisementMoong has a two-and-a-half-month cycle, but farmers are in a hurry to harvest the crop as any delay will cost them dearly in the following kharif season, sowing for which begins in mid-June.It is an open secret that farmers spray moong crop with broad leaf weedicides after seed formation and ripening in the pod, which quickly readies it for harvesting using combines. This saves farmers around 10-15 days at a critical juncture when sowing for the next crop is to be done.But why has the state government woken up to the practice of spraying weedicides, such as Paraquat, now when this has been in practice for years? There is ample material on the health hazards from consuming something treated with Paraquat, widely considered highly toxic. However, the state government has not carried out any lab tests to ascertain the presence of poisonous substances in the moong crop. Also, not all farmers use weedicides for moong.Moreover, Paraquat is not a banned weedicide in India. If weedicides are making moong hazardous, their sale outside the MSP ecosystem should also be curtailed, say observers.So, do the reasons lie elsewhere? Sources in the government said that while chief minister Mohan Yadav is against the use of weedicides on crops, the government also has a financial issue to deal with. Last year, 580,000 tonnes of moong were procured at the MSP of Rs 8,558 per quintal. Of this, the Union government footed the bill for around 330,000 tonnes, as per a limit it had fixed; the balance was left with the MP government to sell in the open market.advertisementMoong is not part of the public distribution system. The sale in open market caused a loss of around Rs 1,000 crore last year. It is this amount that the state government may be wanting to save. Besides the state government, the Union government also lost a little more than Rs 1,000 crore in post-procurement sale in the open market.There is huge politics over pricing of farm produce in Madhya Pradesh as agriculture is the main economic activity. The BJP, during the 2023 election, had promised wheat procurement at Rs 2,700 per quintal but is yet to honour it. Its government has also not delivered on the promised paddy procurement prices.While the Opposition Congress has been vocal about the moong procurement issue, the state government seems to be in no mood to oblige. Now, with former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Union agriculture minister, farmers have their eyes fixated on him in the hope of an intervention.advertisementSubscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
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