Haryana Govt urged to give Rs 300/quintal bonus to farmers for paddy

With a focus on problems faced by traders and farmers, a meeting of traders was held under the leadership of Bajrang Garg, president of the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal, and former Chairman of the Haryana Confed.

During the discussion, Garg emphasised that the government should provide farmers with a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal for paddy.

He said farmers were on the brink of ruin due to the government’s delay in purchasing paddy. He also highlighted the lack of space for farmers to store paddy, either in the markets or at home.

As a result, farmers were being forced to sell their crops between Rs 200 and Rs 350, lower than the minimum support price (MSP).

Garg criticised the government’s poor policies, stating that the state’s grain markets were overflowing with unsold paddy. He further mentioned that the slow pace of paddy lifting by the government was causing significant distress to both farmers and commission agents.

It is alleged that some government officials were deliberately delaying the process in an attempt to extort money. Similarly, contractors are demanding money from commission agents under the pretext of lifting paddy.

Garg urged the government to fix the responsibility of purchasing agencies and ensure that the entire process of procurement, lifting and payment was completed within 72 hours. He also called for strict action against any official who shows negligence in this regard.

Garg requested farmers to dry their paddy before bringing it to the market. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to reduce the commission for agents on crops like paddy, wheat and millet, and to eliminate the commission on cotton and mustard. He urged the government to restore the 2.5 per cent commission for agents as before and address issues being faced by traders, millers and farmers.

Hira Lal Sharma, the district head of Sirsa Vyapar Mandal and state secretary, also shared his views during the meeting.