Farmers given inter-state curfew passes to hire outside technicians for harvesting: Sushil Modi

Amid nationwide lockdown, inter-state curfew passes have been issued to farmers in Bihar so that they could bring operators and technicians from Punjab and Haryana for cutting wheat crops.

Patna: More than 750 inter-state curfew passes have been issued to farmers in Bihar so that they could bring operators and technicians from Punjab and Haryana to run combine harvesters for cutting the wheat crop, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said on Tuesday.

He said a large number of Bihar farmers have purchased combine harvesters in the recent past availing the subsidy provided by the state government on the equipment, but there is a shortage of operators and technicians to run them.

In such a situation, they need to hire experts from Punjab and Haryana, he said. Considering their problem to move out during the nationwide lockdown necessitated by coronavirus outbreak, the state government has issued inter-state curfew passes to many farmers to ensure uninterrupted harvesting of their wheat crop, said Modi, who also holds the Finance portfolio.

Armed with the passes, several farmers have left on their vehicles to bring operators and technicians of combine harvesters from prominent agri states of Punjab and Haryana, he said.

Acknowledging the problem, he said the state government has decided to give the training to operate and repair harvester to the natives of the state so that they do not require to bring technicians from outside from next year.

The Bihar government has already issued guidelines and advisories to keep agricultural activities out of the lockdown purview, he said, adding many shops dealing in fertilizers, seeds, agriculture equipment, tractor workshops etc. continue to remain shut in the absence of information among the intended sections.

The officials concerned have been directed to ensure smooth transportation and sale of agrochemicals (pesticides), seeds, agriculture equipment, milk booth, dairy products, poultry feed among others so that nobody face any difficulties in buying these items, he said. (PTI report)