Procurement takes centre stage in Haryana as farmers struggle to sell paddy
Mounds of paddy produce dot the roads as far as the eyes can see in Thanesar. Farmers are on roads in the middle of a closely-contested Assembly elections where they occupy the centre stage.
Every party is promising them their due — procurement of 24 crops on MSP, a legal guarantee and more. The caretaker BJP government even advanced the procurement to September 27 but the cheer was short-lived.
On ground, farmers are camping outside or in mandis with their produce while the grain markets are full. Procurement and lifting is tardy and there are no takers for their paddy lying along the roadsides which, they maintain, is gradually shriveling.
Seventy-year-old Balbir Singh Saini, a farmer from Bahadurpura, has been camping along the road for the past eight days for the auction of his produce. Three other farmers, from different villages, have joined him on his charpoy since he arrived. They are all equally anxious. From Bishangarh, a farmer, Sheroran, has been awaiting the sale of his produce at the mandi roadside. “We are destined to suffer losses — in the field and outside the mandis.”
The stress over the inordinate delay is palpable. Raj Kumar, another farmer, says: “They should give us a tablet and we can sleep forever without worrying about our produce. We have the rope with a hook ready to hang ourselves. This is the last thing we can do.”
While every farmer camping in Thanesar has spent over a week under the sky, farmers at the Kaithal mandi echo the same sentiment. “Our grain in turning black. In another five days, if nobody purchases our grain, we will have to give it at throwaway prices,” Rishipal, a farmer says, adding he is paying Rs 1,000 a night to employ a guard for the security of his mound of paddy.
From Kasan village, Mahesh Singh has been waiting to sell his produce for nine days, but nothing has moved for him. Asked if he will go to vote on October 5, he says, “If the produce is sold, I will go. If not, I will stay here.” This is seconded by Rampal, waiting for procurement to start and the others sunning their produce.
Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Sumita Mishra, however, contends that procurement and lifting are taking place. “The farmers camping at the mandis are doing so because the moisture content in the produce is higher than the permissible limit of 17 per cent. They are drying their produce. Not only is the procurement taking place, we are even making payments as well,” she said.
Jewel Singla, Chairman of the Haryana rice milers and dealers’ association, said due to the “unfavourable” policies of the FCI, inadequate milling charges and conditions of the custom-milled rice policy, rice millers suffered heavy losses last year. “Millers are in no position to suffer more losses. The government has failed to resolve our concerns related to the yield and delivery,” he said. Kaithal market committee secretary, Basau Ram, claimed the procurement was taking place as per the guidelines.
Rahul raises issue
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, at a rally in Mahendergarh on Friday, said paddy awaiting purchase at mandis would be procured once the Congress came to power in Haryana.
