Haryana Government on Monday asked the farmers to make a complaint if anyone gives less than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce.
The Sate Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar said that farmers have been advised to clean and dry their harvest properly before bringing them to the market and to fulfill the criteria of moisture content up to 17 per cent. Dhankar said that farmers have been selling paddy on less prices to arthias in rush and they could get full prices if they act patiently. The farmers should bring dry paddy and take MSP of Rs1,450.
He said that the Government has given relaxation in terms of electricity bills and corrected the discrepancies. The Government is making efforts to put a check on electricity thefts and in this direction, various new schemes have been introduced which would benefit the
people.
During the current Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2015-16, the Government has taken decision in the interest of the farmers to procure the bajra on MSP. Earlier, the State Government had stopped procurement of bajra and no procurement has been made after KMS 2011-12, said he.
The Minister said that Kharif Marketing Season usually commences from October 1 every year, but this year due to early arrival of paddy in the mandis, Government of India was requested to prepone the paddy procurement season to September 24 instead of October 1. This time, the State Government has assigned districts to senior IAS officers to monitor the procurement operations of paddy and Bajra during KMS 2015-16. An appeal through posters and banners has been made to farmers to bring their produce in the mandis after cleaning so as to get the remunerative prices.
The Minister said that all the Deputy Commissioners in the state were directed to issue legal instructions to the combine harvester owners not to use combines for harvesting at night i.e. from 10 pm to 7 am because due to excess humidity in night, the moisture content in the paddy increases.
Payments are being made to farmers within 48 to 72 hours of the purchase. Sufficient funds are available with the Government procurement agencies. A committee has already been constituted in each mandi for redressal of the grievances and disputes between the farmers and the purchaser. Any farmer can contact this committee for redressal of his grievances, he added.