The Haryana government has made all arrangements for smooth procurement of rabi crops which will start arriving in the mandis from April 1.
While stating this, the food and supplies minister Mahender Partap Singh said that to ensure prompt payment to the farmers within 24 to 72 hours, cash credit limit for the state has been fixed at Rs 7,040 crore by the Reserve Bank of India to purchase rabi crops.
He said this year about 70 lakh tonne of wheat is likely to arrive in the mandis. Wheat will be procured by six procuring agencies, namely Food and Supplies 30%, Hafed 30%, Food Corporation of India 10%, Haryana Warehousing Corporation, Haryana Agro Industries and Confed 10% each at the Centre fixed minimum support price of Rs 1,100 per quintal .
Similarly, the minimum support price for Barley has been fixed at Rs 750 per quintal, and for gram the MSP is Rs 1,760 per quintal and rapeseed at Rs 1,830 per quintal, he added.
The minister said this year 366 mandis would be operational as against 365 mandis last year. All heads of procuring agencies have been asked to ensure that all mandis were equipped with basic amenities, such as-drinking water, electricity, pucca platform, sheds and parking place. It has been made mandatory for the arhtis to have facility of electric fan, jharna, covers, crates and labour for the cleaning and protection of foodgrains.
He said the state government agencies and Food Corporation of India have made arrangements of packing material.
Similarly, sufficient quantities of other material, such as-polythene covers, tarpaulins and fumigants had also been arranged. Procurement agencies would have to ensure stocking of the packing material, particularly the gunny bales at strategic points and mandis, well before the commencement of season so that there is no difficulty when actual procurement starts.
Mahender Partap Singh said the food and supplies department would set up a round the clock control room at state headquarters as well as district headquarters .
Each procuring agency would deploy sufficient staff in the mandis allocated to them well in advance so that they could start procurement instantly.
He said farmers have been advised to bring their foodgrains to the market after proper cleaning and as per norms fixed by the government. The stocks of foodgrains containing moisture in excess of 14% would be rejected, the minister said.
He added that officers of the department have been directed that whenever stocks of wheat/barley were rejected by the procurement agencies, it should be personally verified and checked by mandi in-charge.