Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has slammed the BJP government for its failure to ensure minimum support price (MSP) and proper procurement facilities for farmers during the current rabi season. He said, like every season, the government has once again failed to deliver on its promises.

“After mustard, wheat farmers are now being looted by private agencies due to the government's poor planning and delays,” Hooda said. He accused the government of deliberately creating hurdles to force farmers to sell their produce below MSP.

He alleged that despite wheat arrival in mandis, procurement is either delayed or halted due to excuses like high moisture content or the absence of procurement agencies. “Mustard is being sold nearly Rs 500 below MSP. There’s a complete lack of facilities in mandis — no drinking water, non-functional coolers, inadequate cleaning, and a shortage of gunny bags,” Hooda added.

He pointed out that although the government announced April 1 as the start date for wheat procurement, lifting tenders weren’t finalised and basic arrangements remained incomplete. This delay results in crop piling up in mandis and delayed payments to farmers.

“The government charges interest from farmers for delayed payments, but doesn’t pay a penny in return when payments to farmers are delayed for days or months,” Hooda said, calling the BJP’s procurement policies anti-farmer.