Deadlock ends as Haryana rice millers agree to register for paddy procurement

This comes as a big relief for the state government as millers act as a crucial link between the authorities and the central food pool by undertaking customer milling rice (CMR)

Days after several rice millers from Karnal and Kaithal region refused to register for the ongoing Kharif marketing season 2026-27 due to demand of early procurement and pending issues with the union, and state government, the millers on Friday agreed to end the impasse and participate in the season.

The millers will register for the paddy purchase process and facilitate the farmers as per the government norms. (HT File)

Now, the millers will register for the paddy purchase process and facilitate the farmers as per the government norms.

President of Karnal rice millers and dealers association Saurabh Gupta said on Thursday that a delegation met Karnal deputy commissioner (DC) Anand Kumar Sharma to raise their issues and by evening, they were informed about a meeting with chief minister Nayab Singh Saini in Chandigarh.

“We met the CM, who assured us that no injustice would be done to the millers and urged all of us to complete their registration. Now, a meeting of the Karnal district rice millers has been scheduled for Saturday in Nissing, where further details will be shared to them. We are also thankful to speaker Harvinder Kalyan, MLAs Jagmohan Anand and Yogender Rana,” Gupta told the HT.

“We have also asked the concerned departments to ensure that government agencies will be responsible to purchase the paddy and only authorised transporters will bring the stock to the mills, so that there is no intervention of the millers and thus no chance of corruption,” he added.

This comes as a big relief for the state government as millers act as a crucial link between the authorities and the central food pool by undertaking customer milling rice (CMR).

Earlier, the millers announced to boycott the CMR operations for the season due to their pending issues with the governments, adding that around 6 lakh (metric tonne) MT of CMR was pending from last season at the mills due to non-acceptance by the food corporation of India (FCI).

However, in some respite, the Union government later decided to extend the deadline for delivery of CMR till September 30, 2026, which was earlier fixed at June 30, 2026.

Due to issues of bonus and payments from last year, the millers waited for deliberations, which were finally completed on Friday.

On the other hand, Haryana agriculture and farmers welfare minister Shyam Singh Rana said that the arrival of paddy crops in the state has begun and the government is making all necessary preparations for procurement in the markets.

“Paddy procurement will begin in the state as soon as permission is received from the central government. The government is striving to ensure that farmers do not face any difficulties in selling their crops. Necessary steps are being taken keeping farmers’ interests in mind. The process of crop verification is also underway before government starts the purchase,” he said.

Rana was in Karnal to chair the meeting of district public relations and grievance redressal committee.