Glitches hit mustard purchase in Haryana, farmers turn to private buyers
The procurement of mustard in Haryana has begun on a troubled note, with a lukewarm response from farmers amid technical glitches and alleged mismanagement at mandis, forcing many to turn to private buyers offering quicker payments despite lower prices.
Even as the minimum support price (MSP) has been fixed at Rs 6,200 per quintal, farmers across several districts are reportedly selling their produce to private traders at Rs 5,300-Rs 5,800 per quintal, prioritising immediate payments over delayed procurement. The situation has provided ammunition to the Opposition, which has accused the government of poor planning and inadequate arrangements during the crucial procurement season that began on March 28.
The state aims to procure around 13 lakh tonnes of mustard this season. Of this, 25% will be procured under the price support scheme through central agencies — NAFED and NCCF — while the remaining 75% will be handled by state agencies, HAFED and the Haryana State Warehousing Corporation, in equal proportion. Officials said 112 mandis have been designated for mustard procurement, alongside 416 for wheat, 25 for barley, 11 for gram and 7 for lentil.
Technical glitches disrupt arrivals
This year, the government introduced geo-fencing of mandis and made gate passes mandatory through the e-Kharid mobile app. Biometric verification via the “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” portal was also made compulsory during bidding. However, the rollout was marred by widespread technical failures. Farmers in districts such as Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Rewari and Rohtak reported frequent crashes of the e-Kharid portal.
Sources said nearly 70% errors in data verification and outdated records led to denial of gate passes, with many farmers being turned away on grounds of “record not matching”.
Opposition alleges ‘complete mismanagement’
AAP national media incharge Anurag Dhanda launched a sharp attack on the government, alleging large-scale failure in procurement operations. “Despite the government setting a procurement target of 13 lakh metric tonnes, the chaos on the first day raises serious questions about both their intent and preparation. The arrival of mustard across the state has exceeded 1.2 lakh quintals, government agencies have failed to procure even 5% of it. This clearly proves that the government has no intention of buying,” he said.
Dhanda alleged basic arrangements in mandis were missing. “Thousands of farmers spent their day sweating in lines from 5 am to 7 pm,” he said, adding that shortages of gunny bags (bardana), weighing scales and labour had worsened the situation. He also flagged lack of drinking water, toilets and seating facilities.
INLD seeks Governor’s intervention
The INLD has also stepped up pressure on the government. Party president Abhay Singh Chautala recently met Haryana Governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh at Raj Bhavan, seeking intervention to address farmers’ grievances arising from what he termed faulty procurement policies. Chautala has announced plans to set up Farmers’ Grievance Redressal Centres in mandis to facilitate smooth sale of produce.
Wheat procurement next
With wheat procurement scheduled to begin from April 1, concerns are mounting over the preparedness of the state machinery to handle the larger inflow without disruptions.
