Slow lifting of paddy chokes Karnal grain markets

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 15

With slow lifting, the Karnal grain market has got congested, resulting in huge traffic chaos on the service lanes of National Highway-44 as the farmers are waiting for their turn in long queues of tractors and trailers loaded with paddy.

‘Allow Haryana farmers with farms in UP to sell’

Rajnish Chaudhary, president, Karnal Arhtiyas Association, has demanded that farmers of Haryana who have cultivated paddy in UP should be allowed to sell their crop in Karnal’s grain markets.

Congestion prevails in almost all the grain markets of the district due to slow pace of lifting. The commuters using service lanes on NH-44 had to face lots of difficulty.

To speed up the lifting process, there would be no procurement on Sunday. No gate passes would be issued from Saturday evening to Monday morning in Karnal grain market, said Rajnish Chaudhary, president, Karnal Arhtiyas Association.

Farmers blamed the poor management and said that they have been waiting since midnight for their turn to get gate passes, but to no avail.

“I came here to sell my crop, but my wait seems to be never-ending as a large number of farmers are already standing in queue,” said Rampal, a farmer.

Another farmer Krishan Lal said that due to slow lifting, there is space crunch at the grain market and farmers have not been able to unload their produce.

On the other hand, the district authorities claimed that around 60 per cent of the total procured paddy has been lifted which is the highest in the state.

“We have lifted around 60 per cent of procured paddy which is the highest in the state. I have directed the agencies to speed up lifting,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner. He said that as procurement was halted on Wednesday at the grain market, the rush increased on Thursday.

Till Thursday evening, the district has witnessed arrival of 53,70,194 quintals of paddy. Of these, 86 per cent (46,10,376 quintals) of paddy was procured. Of the total procured paddy, 27,69,992 quintals of paddy was lifted. The remaining is lying in various grain markets.

“We are expecting an arrival of around 12 MT in this current season. We have already done the payment of around Rs 300 crore to the farmers, which is around 30 per cent of the total procurement,” the DC maintained.

Karnal grain market has witnessed 70 per cent lifting. At Gharaunda, it is 60 per cent, Assandh 39 per cent, Indri and Taraori at 61 per cent each, Nilokheri 62 per cent, Nissing 65 per cent, Kunjpura 56 per cent, Nigdhu 58 per cent, Jundla 64 per cent, Gheer 78 per cent, Ballah 76 per cent and Biana 49 per cent.

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