Slow wheat lifting amid heavy arrivals in Jhajjar mandis draws criticism

A heavy arrival of wheat has been recorded in the Jhajjar, Matanhail and Badli grain markets in the district; however, the lifting of stocks has been comparatively slow against the pace of arrivals.

The situation drew sharp criticism from former minister and local Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, who expressed strong displeasure after inspecting the mandis and interacting with farmers.

Ram Niwas, Secretary of the Market Committee, Jhajjar, informed that a total arrival of 7.19 lakh quintals of wheat has been recorded across the three mandis so far. Of this, 2.80 lakh quintals have been procured at the MSP, while over 74,000 quintals have been lifted.

“As far as Jhajjar mandi is concerned, a total of 4.11 lakh quintals of wheat has arrived so far, out of which 1.23 lakh quintals has been procured, while 40,000 quintals has been lifted. Similarly, Matanhail grain market has recorded an arrival of 2.11 lakh quintals, out of which 1.19 lakh quintals has been procured and only 20,000 quintals has been lifted,” he added.

During her visit to the Jhajjar and Matanhail grain markets last evening, Bhukkal found large heaps of wheat lying in the mandis.

After interacting with farmers, she said they were facing distress due to multiple conditions imposed by the state government for procurement, describing them as time-consuming and a source of unnecessary hardship.

“It is unfortunate that the BJP government has failed to curb narcotics in the state, while at the same time it is creating hurdles for farmers in selling their produce,” she said.

Bhukkal further said there was no justification for mandatory number plates on tractors with photographs, biometric verification at mandi gates, compulsory presence of registered farmers for gate passes, crop registration and fixed time slots for selling produce. “This is nothing but an attempt to harass farmers and push them towards selling their produce to private players,” she alleged.

The senior Congress leader said that wheat is lying in the open at the Matanhail mandi, and the space crunch caused by slow lifting is worsening the situation, especially amid inclement weather conditions.

“Mobile network issues persist in several mandis, creating difficulties in generating mandatory OTPs required for selling produce. Mandis are lacking basic amenities, exposing the government’s ‘false claims’ of providing adequate facilities. Moreover, wheat lying in mandis is getting damaged due to unseasonal rains, while the Agriculture Minister is making a mockery of farmers by claiming that the rains will benefit them,” Bhukkal added.

The former minister said the Congress stands firmly with farmers during this period of crisis and will continue to raise their issues from the streets to the Assembly to mount pressure on the BJP government.

She added that senior Congress leaders, including former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are visiting grain markets across the state to support farmers.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner S. Ravindra Patil said the administration is fully committed to ensuring a smooth, transparent and farmer-friendly procurement process, and that all required facilities have been provided in the mandis. He directed procurement agencies and concerned officials to ensure uninterrupted operations so that farmers do not face any inconvenience in selling their produce.