Bajra procurement yet to start in Jhajjar market

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, October 3

Despite the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court procurement of bajra is yet to be initiated in the home district of Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar.

Over 2,000 quintal of bajra has arrived in local grain market so far. Though officials of HAFED, the procurement agency, are deputed at the market to but the farmers are facing a tough task to arrange the documents mandatory for the procurement.

The officials said the farmers have to submit a copy of their land ownership and the patwari’s report while selling their produce in the mandi. Significantly, the delay in the procurement is proving favourable for commission agents who are privately buying the crop lesser than the minimum support price (MSP) who are not able to meet this requirement.

“About 1,600 out of the 2,000 quintal of bajra that arrived in the grain market during the past couple of days was purchased by commission agents for Rs 1,150 per quintal which is Rs 125 less than the MSP,” informed an official when TNS visited the market today.

Om Prakash, a farmer from Raiya village, said he had brought his crop this morning but the officials refused to procure it without the required documents.

“Now, we have to make the rounds of the patwari’s office to get the required documents,“ he added.

Pawan Kumar, a commission agent, said “We are buying the crop from farmers as per rules. The rates have been fixed on the basis of quality. Generally, it is being bought from Rs 1,160 to Rs 1,190 per quintal.”

Suresh Jawa, District Manager (DM) of HAFED, said “Officials are posted in the mandis but no farmer turns up along with the required documents delaying the process.”

The procurement will start from Monday as the farmers were still completing formalities mandatory for selling their crop.