Wheat purchase to start in Haryana today amid 'no proper' arrangements

With the wheat procurement season set to begin on April 1 as per the directions of the government, key arrangements remain incomplete, raising concerns among farmers and arhtiyas (commission agents).

Transporters and labour contractors have yet to be finalised, and the delivery of gunny bags remains pending, which could lead to logistical challenges in grain markets once the procurement starts.

As per the sources, while the technical bids for transport and labour contractors have been opened, but the price bids. The entire process of finalising these contractors may take a couple of days, after which the distribution of gunny bags will begin. However, arhtiyas and farmers argue that these arrangements should have been completed much earlier.

Rajnish Chaudhary, president of the Karnal Arhtiyas' Association, expressed frustration over the delay. “Not a single gunny bag has been delivered to any grain market in the district. The transport and labour contractors are yet to be finalised. If the government fixed April 1 as the procurement date, these steps should have been completed well in advance. Why were the authorities waiting until the last moment?” he questioned.

The arhtiyas and farmers fear disruption in procurement operations due to delay in key measures. They said any delay in these steps could lead to a glut-like situation in grain markets, causing distress among farmers who rely on timely payments for their produce.

However, officials said they were prepared to handle the situation. District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) Anil Kumar promised that procurement would proceed smoothly. “We are fully prepared for procurement. We have sufficient gunny bags, which will be delivered to the commission agents on time. The price bids to finalise the labour and transport contractors will be completed in the next couple of days,” he stated.

He further mentioned that the administration has set a procurement target of 8.5 lakh metric tonnes of wheat this season. Agricultural experts are also anticipating that the recent drop in temperature over the past few days might delay the arrival of wheat by a week, giving procurement agencies and the district administration relief along with additional time to complete the pending formalities.

Dr Rattan Tiwari, Director ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), said due to sudden dip in temperature, wheat harvesting might be delayed by about a week. “After the rise in temperature, the harvesting will be in full swing,” he added. Farmers are also waiting for conducive conditions for harvesting so that the grains can fully mature.