Haryana will start paddy procurement

Move follows meet between Haryana Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Cabinet Minister Ashwani Chaubey.

Chandigarh: In wake of protests by farmers for delay in procurement of crops in Haryana, the state government has decided to start the procurement of kharif crops, including paddy and millet, from Sunday after a meeting regarding the same between Haryana Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Cabinet Minister Ashwani Chaubey. Earlier, the state government had decided to start the procurement on 11 October 2021 stating that in view of the untimely and continuous monsoon, it is not possible to start the procurement which annoyed the farmers as a huge proportion of the paddy was lying in the mandis. The farmers unions and the farmers clearly opposed the decision and started agitation against the government across the state which forced the government to step back and take its previous decision back.

It is worth mentioning that farmers were sitting in protest in several districts, including Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra etc, which led to verbal spat and tense situations between police and the farmers.

According to the farmer leaders, several farmers were arrested and injured after the police resorted to a lathi-charge. The police department, however, stated that no such incident took place and even, the officials tried to make them understand. After the ruckus there, the farmers closed the roads which resulted in huge jams.

It is pertinent to mention that the farmers started their protest outside the residence of the state cabinet ministers and keeping in view this, a huge police force was deployed over there to ensure no violent incident took place. Amid this, news arrived in the afternoon that the Chief Minister along with agriculture minister J.P. Dalal had reached Delhi to join the meeting with Union Cabinet Minister Ashwani Chaubey which resulted in the change of date for procurement of crops.

Following the meeting, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that proper arrangements will be made to purchase whole crops of farmers at MSP. Assurance was given that the state as well as central governments are committed to the welfare of the farmers.

Before this, leaders of the opposition were sitting on agitation in favour of the farmers and against the previous decision of the ruling faction, stating that the government is leaving no stone unturned to put the farmers in the state of distress. Regarding the issue, the leader of Opposition and Congress stalwart Bhupender Singh Hooda took a dig at the ruling faction and said that the government has turned paddy procurement into a joke.

On the one hand, the farmers are facing the wrath of the government and, on the other end, farmers are being hit hard by the weather.