Farmers not getting MSP, govt cheating them: Hooda

Former Chief Minister and newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday came down heavily on the Haryana Government for failing to ensure minimum support price (MSP) for farmers, alleging that paddy is being procured at throwaway prices.

During his visit to grain markets in Gharaunda and Karnal, Hooda interacted with farmers, labourers and arhtiyas and listened to their grievances regarding delayed procurement, rejected crops and payment delays.

“Farmers are facing severe difficulties this season. Their crops are not being purchased on time, MSP is not being paid and payments are being delayed. Farmers are trapped in endless formalities — from the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ portal to verification, gate restrictions and lifting delays,” Hooda said while speaking to the media.

He alleged that government agencies were rejecting paddy on flimsy grounds such as high moisture content or discoloured grains, compelling farmers to sell their produce Rs 500-800 below MSP.

“MSP rates are short by Rs 200, Rs 400 and even Rs 800 per quintal. Not a single farmer I met has received the promised MSP. The government is cheating farmers,” he said, recalling that the BJP had promised Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy before the Assembly elections.

Calling for immediate relief, Hooda demanded that the state relax moisture norms from 17% to 22–24%, raise the limit for discoloured grains from 5% to 10% and announce a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal.

He added that excess rainfall, floods and waterlogging this year had caused up to 100% crop loss in some areas, while yields in others were drastically reduced. Hooda said the government’s compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre was grossly inadequate, claiming actual losses ranged between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000 per acre.

“The announced compensation is like a cumin seed in a camel’s mouth,” he said.

Hooda also pointed to bureaucratic hurdles in payments, urging the government to install digital weighing machines in mandis to streamline procurement.

Taking a dig at the Nayab Saini-led government, which recently completed a year in office, Hooda asked, “The Prime Minister is visiting Haryana, but what achievements will they highlight? Has the government provided relief to farmers or labourers or improved law and order? Even promised compensation and bonuses have not been delivered.”

On rising crime, Hooda warned that Haryana now leads the country in organised criminal activity, with 80 active gangs involved in murder, kidnapping, robbery and extortion.

Criticising the Lado-Lakshmi scheme, Hooda said, “The BJP had promised Rs 2,100 per month to all women but later restricted it to 20 lakh. So far, only 1,71,000 women have registered, even though the government already has Aadhaar and family ID data. This is another instance of misleading the public.”

Asked about Sadbhavna Yatra posters featuring former Hisar MP Brijendra Singh, Hooda said, “Everyone has their own way of working, but our goal is to strengthen the Congress party.”