Procurement delay charge baseless: Govt

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 17

Farmers have accused officials of the government procurement agencies of benefitting private players by not making purchase under the minimum support price (MSP).

In case the government agencies refuse to buy the grain citing excessive moisture, farmers have to sell their produce to private players with a cut of up to Rs 200 on the MSP. The MSP for paddy is Rs 1,750 per quintal.

A farmer, Kuljit Singh, from Malawali village said, “I contacted commission agents in Rajasani and Kukrawala grain markets. They stated the government agencies were not procuring the grain. Later, I got the moisture of my produce checked from Jandiala Guru market where it was found to be 14 per cent.”

Farmers from Ajnala block had on Tuesday accused the procurement agencies of helping private players because of which farmers were forced to sell their produce at a low price.

District Mandi Officer Kulwant Singh said, “In most of the mandis, the varieties which are covered under PDS have not yet arrived. Farmers are giving wrong facts. Today, someone called the Deputy Commissioner and complained that his produce was under the permissible moisture but agencies were not procuring the same. Later, it was found that the crop had 22 per cent moisture.”

The agencies can’t buy produce if the moisture content is more than 17 per cent.

A total of 2.68 lakh metric tonne of produce, out of which 1.68 lakh metric tonne is basmati, has arrived in the grain markets till date. The problem in selling their crop had earlier led to many farmer groups demanding relaxation in the moisture limit up to 22 per cent.