Political parties trade charges over paddy procurement in Haryana
Political parties are trading charges over Haryana’s paddy procurement, with Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala accusing the BJP of undermining the MSP to target protesting farmers. Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana denied these claims, citing efficient procurement, with 44.59 lakh tonnes purchased at MSP so far.
A heated political dispute over the government’s paddy procurement process in Haryana has intensified. Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the ruling BJP government of plotting to abolish the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system in Haryana and Punjab, suggesting the government is taking "revenge" on farmers for their previous protests. Surjewala's accusations led to a sharp response from Haryana Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, who called the claims misleading and assured that the procurement system was operating effectively.
The Agriculture Minister emphasized that farmers are satisfied with the process, with the government working to buy every grain at MSP. According to him, 46.62 lakh paddy have arrived at mandis (grain markets) so far this season, out of which 44.59 lakh tonnes have been procured at MSP. To date, Rs 8,545 crore has been disbursed to farmers for paddy procurement, and ongoing efforts are being made to ensure a continuous lifting of produce from mandis.
The government of India has set a deadline of November 15 for paddy procurement, with Haryana's target set at 60 lakh tonnes. By October 28, 44.58 lakh tonnes had already been procured, with the remainder expected to be bought in the next two weeks. Last year, Haryana procured 58.94 lakh tonnes of paddy. This season, the MSP rate is set at Rs 2,300 per quintal for regular paddy and Rs 2,320 for grade-A paddy.
Most of the paddy procurement is occurring in districts like Kurukshetra, Karnal, and Kaithal, with 9.57, 8.05, and 7.79 lakh tonnes purchased, respectively. In these areas, paddy lifting has also been the highest, with totals of 8.83, 7.15, and 7.46 lakh tonnes, respectively.
Additionally, 4.39 lakh tonnes of millet have arrived at Haryana’s mandis, with 4.27 lakh tonnes already bought at MSP, injecting Rs 894 crore into farmers' accounts. The majority of millet arrived in Mahendragarh and Rewari districts, where 1.08 lakh tonnes and 95.93 thousand tonnes were brought in, with nearly all purchased at MSP.
