3.5K quintal wheat found stocked in Rohtak, Jhajjar villages

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, May 5

Teams of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) have found over 3,500 quintals of wheat stored illegally at Rohtak and Jhajjar villages during the week, sources said.

Keeping check

We are visiting villages to keep a check on the stocked wheat . Farmers can store wheat, but others have to pay 4% market fee under the Haryana Rural Development Fund while purchasing the produce from the farmers. — Deepak Kumar, Sampla Market Panel Secy

Hoarding of wheat in rural areas by private player is causing losses to the exchequer. Private players are buying wheat directly from farmers without paying tax, with the intention to sell it at higher prices in the open market.

Wheat is fetching good prices in open markets of neighboring states of Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab due to low production and high demand in the global market.

While the MSP of wheat is Rs 2,015 per quintal, it is being sold for Rs 2,050 to Rs 2,200 per quintal, the sources said.

The market committees concerned charged 4 per cent market fee under the Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) and imposed penalty on the stocked produce.

Flour mills in Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar) and Farmana village (Rohtak) were raided today, while those at Barhana village were raided on May 2.

The officials of the market committee of Bahadurgarh today recovered 925 quintals of wheat hoarded at two flour mills in Bahadurgarh town of Jhajjar district.

“A penalty of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on the mill owners found guilty. The hoarded wheat was bought directly from farmers without paying tax on it,” said Ram Niwas, secretary, Bahadurgarh market committee.

Similarly, 800 quintals of wheat in Kultana village (Rohtak) and 931 quintals in Barhana village (Jhajjar) were stocked by private traders.

The market committee of Rohtak also found a stock of 200 quintal wheat at Chiri village, while a trader from Julana (Jind) had hoarded 400 quintal wheat at Rohtak’s Farmana village, the sources said.

“We are regularly visiting villages to keep a check on the wheat stocked. Farmers can store wheat, but others have to pay 4 per cent market fee under the HRDF while purchasing the produce from the farmers,” said Deepak Kumar, secretary, market committee, Sampla.

“The action came after the HSAMB authorities directed secretaries of market committees across the state to visit rural areas to check hoarding of wheat. Though the board has also installed 14 interstate nakas to curb illegal transportation of wheat, private traders have stored it at safer places so as to sell it in other states,” the sources claimed.