Haryana govt puts its plan to pay paddy farmers directly on hold
KARNAL: To avoid confrontation with the strong lobby of arhtiyas (commission agents) in the state ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has put on hold its plan to pay paddy farmers directly.
The government has also preponed the procurement of parmal rice by government agencies from October 1 to September 26.
“This year, the state government will make the payment for paddy purchased on minimum support price by government agencies via arhtiyas but the payments for maize and bajra will be made directly to farmers,” a senior officer of the Haryana state agriculture marketing board (HSAMB) said, requesting anonymity.
“The government had already made preparations for the direct payment method and farmers would have to procure a gate pass to give their details. This year, we were told to make payments via commission agents.
The basmati varieties are purchased by private traders and they will also make payment via commission agents,” another Karnal HSAMB official said. For the last two years, the Union government was putting pressure on the Haryana government to pay MSP directly to farmers and break the nexus of commission agents.
As per the officials of the agriculture department, most farmers who have registered themselves on the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ portal have sought payments directly into their own bank accounts. But, the government was reluctant to implement the policy due to the threats of protests by arhtiyas ahead of the upcoming elections .
Even in last rabi harvesting season, the government had announced to make direct payment to farmers but it had to withdraw its decision following protests by commission agents ahead of the crucial Jind by-election.
On January 15 this year, following protests by the arhtiyas, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had assured them that the government will continue its old practice of releasing payments to farmers through them.
FARMER UNIONS WANT DIRECT PAYMENTS
Several farmer unions from state are demanding direct payments. President of Bhartiya Kisan Union, Ratan Mann said, “We are in favour of direct payment to the farmers as it would help them sell their produce at MSP and avoid illegal trading in mandis.”
“The government is under pressure of the commission agents and are not concerned about the well-being of farmers,” he added.
Arhtiyas get 2.5% commission to get the grain cleaned, organise auctions, pack the produce and dispatch them to the buyers. They also earn huge profit by lending money to farmers on higher interest rates, despite loans being available at nominal interest rates from government institutions.