Lady Luck has smiled on Madhya Pradesh. The state has left behind Punjab in wheat procurement. Yet, more surprising news is that nearly 15.7 lakh farmers, five lakh officers and employees were deployed at the wheat purchase centres. But few were afflicted with the coronavirus.
To stop the spread of the pandemic, the food and civil supplies department had sent 75 lakh SMSs to farmers informing them about the precautions they should take before coming to the purchase centres.
It was because of the SMSs that, the farmers were careful about the disease. It happened for the first time that 81% of farmers in the state reached the procurement centres to sell wheat.
Some of the officials attributed the reason for bumper procurement to the corona pandemic. Mandis were closed because of the disease, and policemen were deployed at every centre.
The farmers were allowed to enter the Mandis only on the basis of the SMSs sent to them. So, going to the purchase centres and selling wheat was their priority.
Principal Secretary of food and civil supplies department Sheo Shekhar Shukla who played an important role in sending SMSs to farmers said all preparations had been made before the purchase began.
As arrangements for sacs and for storage of procured of wheat had been made, it was possible to make such bumper procurement, he said.
He said the government had initially arranged for procurement of 100 lakh metric tons of wheat, but when the quantity increased the system was strengthened.
The most important factor was that, of the 15.7 lakh farmers, 9.50 lakh were small ones.
Hoshangabad was on top in procurement this year too, but the position of Harda which remains second every year has gone down. Sehore was in the third position, and Ujjain obtained the third place in purchasing wheat.
