Farmers Movement Archive

Paddy procurement in Haryana postponed to October 11

A day before the paddy procurement was scheduled to start in the mandis of Haryana, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has written to the Haryana government to postpone the procurement to October 11.As per the letter accessed by the Hindustan Times, due to the recent heavy downpour in Haryana and Punjab, maturity of paddy has been delayed and the moisture content in the fresh arrival at present is beyond the permissible limit.Keeping in interests of farmers in mind and to avoid any inconvenience to them, it has been decided that the procurement of paddy under the minimum support price (MSP) will commence from October 11, reads the letter written to additional chief secretary, Haryana food and civil supply and consumer affairs department, by the under secretary to the ministry of consumer affairs food and public distribution department.The state government was requested to advise the procurement agencies to dry the paddy that has already arrived at the mandis and further produce may also be brought to the mandis after proper drying. All agencies may gear up their machinery and take necessary action to undertake paddy procurement from October 11, the letter further read.Haryana’s additional chief secretary (food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department) Anurag Rastogi has confirmed that he has received a letter in this regard and that the FCI has decided to postpone procurement.“Now we have to postpone the procurement as per the central government’s guidelines,” he added.Farm leaders slam decisionThe decision has evoked a sharp reaction from farm leaders. Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Charuni has called district-level meetings against the government’s decision.Charuni has warned the BJP-JJP leaders to start procurement from October 1 as per earlier plan or farmers will gherao residence of all BJP-JJP MPs and MLAs on October 2.“Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala should immediately resign as he had claimed that the procurement will start from September 25, then it was delayed to October 1 and now they said it will start from October 11,” said BKU (Charuni) spokesperson Rakesh Bains.He said thousands of quintals of paddy is already lying in the mandis and further delay in procurement will cause huge losses to farmers.

Hindustan Times

01-10-2021

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