Advance procurement of sunflower seed, farmers’ union urges CM Saini

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has requested Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to advance the sunflower seed procurement and ensure procurement through commission agents only.

The sunflower seed procurement season is set to begin from June 1 and the minimum support price (MSP) for the season is Rs 7,280 per quintal.

BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said that sunflower seed arrivals have started at the grain markets, but procurement is yet to begin. In the absence of government purchase at MSP, the farmers take their produce back after cleaning and drying at the grain markets. Consequently, the farmers will have to bear extra transportation charges. Sometimes, to avoid extra charges, and in need of money, the farmers also sell their produce at cheaper rates to private traders. The government should direct the procurement agencies to start procurement at the earliest to protect farmers from losses.

The BKU chief also said that the Shahabad grain market alone receives about 1.5 lakh quintal of sunflower in a season. The government must ensure that the procurement is done through the commission agents so that the farmers don’t have to face any inconvenience in selling their produce. A letter has been sent to the Chief Minister requesting the government to ensure a smooth procurement season.

Rakesh Bains, spokesman of BKU (Charuni), said, “The arrivals have started at the grain markets, but the government agencies will enter the market from June 1. The procurement agencies should ensure timely procurement so that farmers are not forced to sell their produce to private players below the MSP. Sunflower seed is a sensitive crop. The weather has been uncertain and in case of strong wind or rain, it gives you no time to collect the seeds and the entire crop is gone within a few minutes.”

The state government has allotted 17 grain markets and purchase centres for the procurement of sunflower seeds for the Rabi Marketing Season 2025-26. Two government procurement agencies Hafed and Haryana State Warehousing Corporation will procure the produce for the state government.

The state government has allotted Ambala City, Ambala Cantonment, Barara, Mullana, Shahzadpur, Saha and Naraingarh grain markets in Ambala district, Karnal grain market in Karnal district, and Ismailabad, Thanesar, Thol, Shahabad, Ladwa, Babain and Jhansa grain markets in Kurukshetra district. Similarly, Barwala and Jagadhri grain markets have been allotted in Panchkula and Yamunanagar, respectively, to the procurement agencies.