It’s time to celebrate in rice bowl Karnal

Parveen Arora In Karnal

Think, who is the happiest this Diwali? The paddy farmer in the rice bowl of the country in Karnal. And guess who is twiddling one’s thumbs? It is the government officials trying to keep afloat the electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM). 

First, the Diwali mood among the farmers: paddy varieties (Pusa 1509, Pusa 1121, PR-14 and Pusa-1509) are being procured for Rs 2,500-3,000 per quintal. Last year these varieties came for Rs 1,700-2,200. In 2015, the rate was Rs 1,300-1,400. The variety Pusa 1121 is getting as high as Rs 3,100. “It’s real Diwali for farmers,” says Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from Nissing.

The one-nation, one-market e-trading platform, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched last year, has not got enough response. Farmers, instead, continue to flock local grain markets. In Haryana, Karnal and Ellenabad were two grain markets where e-NAM was brought in initially. More such electronic trading systems came up in other parts of the state. 

Sources in the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) say arthiyas (commission agents), rice millers and farmers are yet to get licences after due registration with this platform. So far, 29,806 farmers, 213 rice millers and 871 commission agents are registered with e-NAM. According to the registration rules, if a trader living outside the e-trading hubs of the state or country wants to buy the produce from the Karnal grain market, he should have the licence from Haryana first. 

Lack of knowledge among farmers and traders for e-trading and a feeling of insecurity among arthiyas about the money already lent to the farmers are the prime reasons why electronic trading is yet to cross the procedural hurdles. The objective is to minimize the role of commission agents, and that the farmer should be able to decide ‘when, where and what price’ he would sell his produce across the country. 

Last year, all varieties of paddy were procured through e-NAM. But this season, only those varieties are being bought that have no MSP declared on them by the government. In the current season, only 1.37 lakh quintal paddy of Basmati varieties was procured through e-NAM. The last year’s figure stood around 8.32 lakh quintal.

“Farmers prefer their own arthiyas, from whom they have borrowed money in the time of need,” says Vijay Kapoor, a progressive farmer and state general secretary Kisan Welfare Club, Haryana. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) state president Sewa Singh Arya says the government should first link all grain markets of the country and educate the farmers for the benefits.

Asha Rani, secretary, Karnal grain market, says the government has been persuading farmers and arthiyas for registration. “This is an innovative project and can benefit all,” she said.

Paddy-wise

Pusa-1509: It is a short duration Basmati variety, consumes less water. It has a mild aroma. 

Pusa-1121: Another Basmati variety, which gives yield from 16-18 quintal per acre. Its quality and taste make it extremely popular. 

PB-1 (Muchal): A high-yielding Basmati variety. It has a mild aroma and is preferred in the US and European markets. The yield of this variety is 20-22 quintal per acre.

Sarbati: It is a non-Basmati variety, but is farmer-friendly because it is disease-free. It gives 20-22 quintal yield per acre. It has a sweet taste, but is sticky.

PR-26: It is the latest variety released by PAU Ludhiana. It takes around 130 days to mature and is resistant to most rice afflictions.