With the government claiming that paddy procurement has started in Haryana, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who visited several grain markets on Sunday, alleged mismanagement, saying, “It has turned out to be a jumla as the procurement is not actually done. has been”.
After protests by angry farmers, the central government had to announce the purchase of paddy from Sunday itself. A Haryana government spokesperson said, “As per the instructions of the Haryana government, the procurement of paddy has been started in the state. All the farmers are urged to bring their grain to the mandis only after drying, cleaning and reducing the moisture content so that they can get good price for the crop. Farmers will not face any kind of problem during paddy procurement.
However, many farmers in the mandis of Karnal complained that they were not allowed to enter the mandis on the pretext of scheduling and gate passes. The officials have been asking the farmers to come to the mandis according to their turn.
On Sunday, Hooda visited several grain markets including Ladwa, Pipli and Thanesar to know the ground realities of the procurement. “The mandis are littered with paddy and the situation is such that there is no place to even set foot in the market and the farmers are afraid of incessant rains. Due to the threat of rain and delay in government procurement, farmers are forced to sell their crops to private agencies below the MSP.
Hooda said farmers need clarity, adding that when he was the chief minister, farmers used to know a week before the procurement of paddy, which agency would buy their paddy and which sheller it would go to. Not only this, during the Congress government, farmers were not harassed in the name of portal and registration. When they landed in the mandis the crops were bought and paid simultaneously. Today farmers are being harassed by asking them to register on the portal and on the pretext of high humidity. As soon as our government is formed, every farmer’s grain purchase will be ensured by removing the hassle of portal and registration.
The Leader of the Opposition said that “this time we have a long rainy season and it is still raining intermittently and hence the government should give concession to the farmers in the standard moisture content this time”. He said, far from giving relief, the standard amount of moisture is being reduced continuously and it is clear from the policies of the government that they do not want to give fair price to the farmers for the crops.
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