Fall in maize prices may derail Haryana’s diversification plan

KARNAL: Prospects of a rich harvest as well as crop diversification of Haryana farmers have been affected by the dip in prices of maize.

In the absence of sufficient government procurement agencies, farmers are being forced to sell their produce at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per quintal to private traders while the minimum support price (MSP) of this crop was hiked to Rs 1,850 per quintal.

Farmers claim that the fall in prices has caused them an estimated loss of Rs 20,000 per acre.

They said the government agencies do not procure maize grown in rabi cycle and the lack of competition forces them to sell their produce to private traders Rs 600-Rs 700 per quintal below the MSP.

The government has declared maize as the best alternative of paddy, especially in the rice belts of Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal,

Ambala and Yamunanagar districts, and announced cash incentives of Rs 7,000 for every acre diversified from paddy into maize.

Farmers said last year, the market price was Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,600 per quintal. “The fall in prices has not only caused losses to farmers, but also discouraged them to adopt the diversification plan as the sowing of maize (kharif) begins with the harvesting of the crop sown in the rabi season,” said a commission agent.

“I had grown maize on five acres and there was a bumper yield. But at this price, I am unable to recover even the input cost. Now, I have decided to sow paddy on all my land,” said a farmer, Darshan Lal, from Kurukshetra’s Ladwa.

Haryana state agricultural marketing board chief administrator Sumedha Kataria said, “The government agencies begin procurement of maize from October 1 as rabi maize is not included in the procurement plan.”