A standoff between the Haryana government and rice millers is threatening to derail the procurement of paddy in Haryana, with growers accusing authorities of not lifting the crop despite heavy arrival in markets.
The state government said it is hopeful of settling the issue with state rice millers within a day or two, while claiming to have lifted ‘each grain’ of paddy.
Peeved at the slow pace of paddy lifting at various places in the state, farmers have even threatened to launch an agitation against the state government.
At the beginning of the paddy lifting season, Haryana rice millers refused to sign agreements with state government for placing the paddy crop at their premises under the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) policy.
“Unless the agreement is signed with rice millers by the state government, the purchased paddy from grain markets could not be unloaded at rice millers’ shellers for converting into rice,” pointed out Makhan Singh, the General Secretary of the Haryana Pardesh Rice Millers & Dealers Association.
He added, “As a result of it, the paddy lifting is going slow.”
State rice millers are primarily demanding removal of holding charges that have been sought by the state government for the delay in delivering rice in 2009-10.
“We never delayed the rice delivery. It happened (delay) because of shortage of space with Food Corporation of India (FCI),” Singh alleged, while claiming that the state government was demanding holding charges to the tune of Rs 50 crore from rice millers.
While comparing the state’s policy with neighbouring Punjab, he said, “Punjab government is not levying any charges from its rice millers, despite millers not delivering rice for the last year.”
Rice millers are also demanding that the Centre relax the norms for discolouration and damage to paddy, which have been fixed at 4.5 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. They also sought a reduction in the limit for making rice out of paddy from 67 per cent to 64 per cent due to low yield.
Agitated over the slow pace of procurement, paddy growers in Karnal had blocked the national highway on Monday.
“The state government is responsible for slow paddy lifting in the state. We will launch an agitation at full scale in the state if the state government does not speed up paddy lifting,” Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha President Dayanand Punia said.
Paddy has arrived in various places like Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Ambala, Panchkula and Yamun Nagar. “As the crop arrivals are picking up, if the state government does not resolve the issue at the earliest, farmers could be forced to go for distress sale,” said Singh.
When contacted, Haryana Food and Supply Secretary Navraj Sandhu said, “We are talking to rice millers and looking into their demands. We are hopeful of resolving the matter within a day or two.”
Stating that the state government was ensuring buying of the entire arrivals of paddy crops, she said, “Paddy has just been trickling in and the crop (at present) has higher moisture level, which is beyond specification of 17 per cent due to last month’s rains. Farmers have been told about the same (moisture content) and they have understood it.”
