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Farmer push for early paddy procurement, Haryana likely to take up issue with Centre
Farmers demand Sept 15 as procurement date; officials flag moisture norms while millers raise concerns over last season’s stocks
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The paddy procurement season in Haryana is heading towards a confrontation, with farmer organisations demanding government agencies to begin purchasing paddy from September 15, nearly a fortnight ahead of the officially scheduled of October 1.
Farmer organisations in Haryana have threatened to launch an agitation if the procurement does not start on September 15, as the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has called for a kisan panchayat at Shahbad, Kurukshetra. Officials associated with procurement operations are of the view that the state government will take up the issue with the Union government and there is a strong possibility that procurement cannot be started from September 15 and may be advanced by a week.
On being contacted Dr Arun Kumar Ahuja, the chief general manager (procurement and warehouse) at The Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED), which procures around 33 % of the total paddy in the state said, “It is too early to say anything about the procurement schedule, we don’t have any information whether the government is planning to advance it”.
For the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2026-27, the Centre has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) at ₹2,441 a quintal for common paddy and ₹2,461 for Grade-A, an increase of ₹72 over last year’s common paddy MSP.
Increase moisture limit
According to ground reports, district administrations are preparing for procurement from October 1, the demand for an earlier start has gathered momentum as early-maturing Parmal (PR) non-basmati varieties have already started arriving in mandis well before the scheduled date. According to the farmers, paddy transplantation starts in the state on June 15, therefore the government should advance procurement to September 15 as most of the varieties are harvested in three months. On the other hand, the officials are of the view that procurement operations are scheduled for October 1 so that farmers do not face any difficulty to sell their produce due to higher moisture content. Under the fair average quality (FAQ) norms for central-pool paddy, the permissible moisture limit is 17%.
Farmers are also demanding that this limit be temporarily increased to 20% during the initial procurement period, arguing that otherwise agencies could reject wetter grain, forcing farmers to sell to private traders at lower rates.
However, the state government has also sought an increase in its central-pool allocation. The state has requested the Centre to raise the approved quota from 58 lakh tonnes to at least 65 lakh tonnes with the state food and supplies minister Rajesh Nagar taking up the matter with Union food minister Pralhad Joshi earlier this month.
The farmers’ demand draws strength from last year’s precedent. Following intervention by chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, procurement in Haryana had begun on September 22, 2025, instead of October 1.
Excessive moisture can create difficulties
Saini, however, has not committed to a September 15 procurement date. During a visit to Kurukshetra on September 4, he said the government was in constant touch with the Centre and would ensure smooth procurement. He also cautioned that excessive moisture creates difficulties for government agencies, commission agents and the government, urging farmers to bring grain within the prescribed moisture limits.
Agriculture minister Shyam Singh Rana told the BKU (Charuni) leaders to convey their demand for early procurement to the CM. But there has been no formal announcement advancing procurement to September 15.
Kisan mahapanchayat on September 10
Farmer organisations held demonstrations in Karnal and Kurukshetra earlier this month and have announced further mobilisation. A kisan mahapanchayat is scheduled at Pehowa on September 10, while Gurnam Singh Charuni has threatened an indefinite blockade of NH-44 near Shahabad from September 16 if procurement does not begin on September 15.
