The extraordinary arrangements were made as rabi procurement began in Haryana Wednesday. (Photo: Narendra Vaskar)
“I HAVE been bringing my crop to grain markets for the past 20 years but I have never seen so much security,” said Ishwar Bishnoi while waiting with his mustard crop at the Bhuna mandi (procurement centre) on Wednesday.
Police personnel have been deployed at the entry, exit points and various corners of the mandi, ensuring that only those farmers who have been called for procurement on the particular day, enter. Before entering, farmers are made to sanitise their hands and given masks. Their body temperature is checked.
The extraordinary arrangements were made as rabi procurement began in Haryana Wednesday. Procurement was being undertaken in two shifts — 8 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm. In each shift, only 25 farmers were called to the mandi on Wednesday. From Thursday onwards, 50 farmers will able to sell their produce in each shift.
Ishwar Bishnoi, 38, a resident of Khajuri village, Fatehabad district, arrived at the mandi at 8.30 am. He had received a text message and phone call from the officials on Tuesday regarding his turn to bring his produce to the procurement centre. However, at 3.30 pm, Bishnoi had to take his produce and return home as the officials did not procure his crop citing high moisture content.
An official said, “We had specifically asked the farmers to bring the mustard only after drying the crop properly. We had to send back those farmers whose crop had higher moisture content than the specified limit.”
But no availability of tea or food stalls near the mandi or surrounding areas was the real problem. Amarjeet, a farm labourer who had come with a tractor-trolley full of mustard crop, approached the policemen to check whether there was any community lunch available in Bhuna town. But they could not suggest any option.
“The government should get registered all mandi labourers for life insurance,” said Mangal Singh, president of the local Majdoor Union.
Bhuna Market Committee Secretary Ishwar Dhaka was satisfied with the procurement of about 450 quintals on the first day. “44 farmers turned up. We had called 50,” Dhaka told The Indian Express.
However, All India Kisan Sabha’s Haryana unit secretary Balbir Thakan said many parts of southern Haryana witnessed very slow procurement of mustard on Wednesday.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary P K Das said the mustard will be purchased even after start of wheat procurement on April 20.
Kisan Sanghrash Samiti Secretary Mandeep Nathwan said the government should exempt farmers from getting registered on the government’s web portal ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’, adding that the record of their crops is available with revenue officials. Farmers have been asked to get registered themselves on the portal till April 19. Online e-gate passes for entering the mandis are issued to only those farmers who are registered and verified on the web portal.
Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (agriculture and farmers’ welfare), Sanjeev Kaushal said about 10,000 metric tonnes of mustard was procured from around 4,500 farmers on the first day (Wednesday).
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