Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Tuesday directed that a senior IAS officer should be deputed in every district for conducting regular inspection of grain markets (mandis) for hassle-free procurement of paddy on the pattern of previous wheat procurement season.
Expressing satisfaction over the adequate arrangements made for procurement of paddy to be brought by farmers in 192 mandis and Bajra in 23 mandis of the state, he gave directions while presiding over a meeting of Food and Supplies and Agriculture Department held here.
During the meeting, it was informed that all the food-grains conforming to the prescribed specification offered for sale at specified mandis and purchase centres would be procured by the procurement agencies at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1450 per quintal for grade-A and Rs 1410 per quintal for common variety.
Similarly, in coarse grains, Bajra and Jowar of hybrid variety would be procured at MSP of Rs 1275 per quintal and Maize (Maladandi) at MSP of Rs 1325 per quintal.
The Chief Minister asked the department to pursue the request of the State government for beginning procurement of paddy before the usual onset of the season on October 1.
He also directed all the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that the district milling committees held their regular meetings. He said that the District Milling Committee should allot the paddy to the rice millers after going through the previous three years record of the rice millers, if the rice millers is doing the work of Custom Milled Rice (CMR). In case of the new rice millers, their financial position and capability would also be examined.
It was decided in the meeting that the purchase of paddy and bajra would be made by the agencies on MSP strictly as per parameters or specifications. The procurement agencies would ensure that the farmers do not, in any way, get price lower than the MSP and forced to resort to any distress sale of their produce.
In case, however, any stocks arrived in Mandis do not conform to specifications, the same should be got improved by cleaning, drying or blending with good quality of paddy etc. In this connection, the farmers would be advised or educated by the staff of the Market Committees as well the procurement agencies.
Manohar lal said that the procurement agencies must ensure that the purchase of paddy or bajra is made as per specifications and by carrying out proper visual inspections of stocks. The laboratory staff of the department that is head analyst and junior analyst would also be associated while effecting purchase. To ascertain moisture contents in paddy and bajra, moisture meters should be kept in every mandi by each procuring agency and Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB).
The CM also said that it would be the responsibility of the procurement agencies to ensure that representative samples or paddy and bajra were properly drawn everyday in each mandi and analyzed in order to determine its proper quality.