Haryana farmers protest procurement failures, MSP discrepancies and DAP shortages

Members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged protests across Haryana on Wednesday, locking and surrounding market committee offices at grain markets for three hours over alleged irregularities in crop procurement, discrepancies in minimum support price (MSP) payments and shortages of fertilisers.

Farmers accused the government procurement system of failing to purchase paddy on time, forcing them to sell their produce to private buyers at rates below the MSP. They also alleged manipulation of moisture readings, problems with weighing, delays in lifting procured crops and pending payments.

The MSP for paddy was cited as ₹2,461 per quintal in several complaints, although farmer leader Shamsher Nambardar, speaking in Hisar, put the figure at ₹2,441 per quintal. He said farmers had reported selling paddy for as little as ₹2,000 to ₹2,100 per quintal.

Farmers allege irregularities in paddy procurement

At the new grain market in Karnal, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Sir Chhotu Ram Bahadur Mehla Baldi alleged that moisture-measuring machines were being manipulated in several places to reduce the prices offered for paddy.

BKU state president Ratan Mann accused traders and commission agents of exploiting farmers under various pretexts, including restrictions on the quantity of produce they could sell based on their landholdings. He alleged that such limits were being imposed under the guise of digital data entry.

“Right under the nose of the market secretary, traders and corrupt commission agents are looting innocent farmers in broad daylight and the staff of market committees remain silent spectators. The Haryana government is not working in any way to stop the looting of farmers in the mandis,” Mann said.

At the new grain market in Ambala city, Tejveer Singh, a member of BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh, raised concerns over moisture limits. He said the permissible moisture level should be increased from 17% to 20% during humid weather, arguing that the higher moisture content was caused by weather conditions.

Singh also alleged that government procurement agencies were not reaching mandis on time, allowing private buyers to purchase crops at arbitrarily low rates. He pointed to confusion over weighing procedures, saying that although the government had ordered the use of digital scales last year, the system had not been implemented.

Unsold paddy, delayed lifting add to farmers' distress

In Pehowa in Kurukshetra district, farmers placed sacks of unsold paddy outside the office of the market committee secretary to protest delays in procurement.

Farmer leader Prince Waraich said procurement had begun on September 30, but farmers had been unable to sell their produce even when it was within the permitted moisture limits. He added that, in cases where crops had been purchased, the produce had not been lifted and payments remained pending.

“Procurement started on September 30, but since then farmers have not been able to sell their crop even below the permissible moisture limits. Even if the crop is procured, there is no lifting and payments are stuck. It seems that the government and mandi board have gone missing for a month, leaving all administration to the millers, who are looting the farmers,” Waraich said.

In Hisar, farmers questioned the government's claim that 24 crops were being procured at MSP, alleging that the assurance had not translated into fair prices in the mandis. Alongside complaints of below-MSP sales, they said paddy had been left exposed to rain, while sheds intended to protect produce were being used as warehouses. This, they said, had made it more difficult to preserve and sell their crops.

DAP shortages and administrative hurdles trigger warning of further agitation

Fertiliser availability was another major concern raised during the protests. Farmers said they had been waiting for days to obtain diammonium phosphate (DAP) from cooperative societies and shops. They alleged that supplies were lying in godowns but were not being distributed because the stocks had not been entered on the relevant portal.

In Uklana, farmer leaders Mian Singh Bithmara and Sharbat Singh Punia led protesters who submitted a memorandum of demands to the market committee secretary. The secretary said procurement by the warehousing corporation had been scheduled for Wednesday and that the designated purchaser had been contacted repeatedly but had failed to arrive. He added that the matter would be reported in writing to higher authorities.

Bithmara alleged that farmers were being harassed during procurement and denied a fair price for their crops. He also objected to per-acre purchase limits, district-linked conditions and mandatory portal formalities, saying these requirements were creating obstacles for farmers attempting to sell their produce through the government procurement system.

The protesters warned that further action would be taken in accordance with decisions by the SKM. They also said they would support a call for a Haryana bandh if the situation required it.