Govt agencies procure bajra at MSP as arrivals hit the fag end

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, October 21

Following the instructions issued by the Directorate, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, government agencies Hafed and Haryana State Warehouse Corporation (HSWC) started procuring bajra at the MSP of Rs 2,500 per quintal from Thursday even as nominal arrivals are being witnessed in the grain markets across the state.

Earlier, bajra was being purchased by Hafed at commercial rate ranging between Rs 2,200-2,250 per quintal. The difference between the MSP and the commercial rates was to be paid to farmers under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY).

“Around 4,000 MT bajra is coming to the mandis daily across the state, while the figure was more than 22,000 MT when the procurement season was at its peak over a fortnight ago. We have so far procured 3.51 lakh MT in the state,” said Rajnish Sharma, Chief General Manager, Hafed.

Previously, Hafed alone was purchasing the bajra but now, the HSWC has also started from Thursday. “We have purchased merely 1,562 MT bajra at the MSP in the state till Friday as the arrival is nominal in majority of the mandis,” said an HSWC official.

Sources said in Rohtak, procurement of bajra could not be done in Kalanaur and Sampla grain markets at the MSP in the past three days due to its non-arrival. “A total 262 quintals of bajra at MSP has so far been procured by the HSWC in Meham and Rohtak grain markets,” said Rohtash Dahiya, District Manager, HSWC.

Meanwhile, raising questions over the directorate instructions, the district unit of All India Kisan Sabha said bajra should have been procured at the MSP from the beginning.

“Now, there is no logic of giving the MSP at a stage when the farmers have already sold almost the entire produce to the government at Rs 2,200-Rs 2,250 per quintal. The BBY is executed when the farmers sell their produce to private buyers. The BBY is meaningless when the government itself is doing procurement,” said Preet Singh, district president of the sabha.