Paddy from UP continues to arrive in Karnal mandis

rveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 19

Paddy from Uttar Pradesh continues to arrive in grain markets of the district. Traders are making easy buck, while local farmers fume over non-procurement of their crop.

Sources in the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board say traders bring paddy from UP and it is easily sold in connivance with officials. It is going on even after the directions of Ram Niwas, ACS, Food and Supplies Department, to all DCs not to allow traded paddy into their grain markets before the start of the government procurement.

Sources claim paddy is available in UP mandis at the rate of Rs 1,200-1,350 per quintal and after bringing it to the state mandis, it is sold to procurement agencies for Rs 1,770 in connivance with officials, earning Rs 200-300 per quintal after meeting the transportation expenses.

“We procure paddy from Shahjahanpur, Etawah, Bareilly, Ramraj, Pilibhit, Shamli and other areas directly from farmers for Rs 1,300-1,350 per quintal. The transportation cost is Rs 120 per quintal from Pilibhit, Etawah and Bareilly. We sell it easily in the grain markets of Haryana at Rs 1,600-1,630,” said a rice miller. He said that due to lack of rice millers in UP, they procure directly from the farmers there.

The arrival of paddy from other states is creating problems for the local farmers. “I am sitting in the grain market with my produce for the past three days, but there is no taker, while the crop brought by the traders to the mandi it is sold immediately,” alleged a farmer.

“I have asked the authorities to set up checkpoints on the Haryana-UP border to stop arrival of the paddy from UP,” said Aditya Dahiya, Deputy Commissioner. He said that they could not seize such paddy, but only send it back. “We can seize only stolen rice or paddy,” he added.

Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said they had sent back nearly 200 trucks of paddy.