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Haryana govt bans night paddy harvesting over moisture concerns
Farmers will only be able to harvest their field using the combine from 10 am to 6 pm, the order issued on Tuesday by the directorate of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs said
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As the paddy harvesting gets underway in Haryana and procurement is set to begin, the state government has restricted the use of combine harvesters from 6 pm to 10 am, citing moisture content during night hours.
Farmers will only be able to harvest their field using the combine from 10 am to 6 pm, the order issued on Tuesday by the directorate of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs said.
The additional director of procurement instructed all deputy commissioners (DCs) across the state to impose prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to regulate paddy harvesting, straw-management equipment and the movement of paddy-laden vehicles.
The order states, “...department concerned indicate that the harvesting takes place during the late evening, night and early morning, particularly when dew and humidity are high. This may result in freshly harvested paddy having moisture levels above the permissible procurement limit of 17%.”
The government said that due to this, there are difficulties in procurement, drying and storage, resulting in inconvenience and possible financial hardship to the farmers.
Officials from the agriculture department, food and civil supplies department, market committee and police will work as a joint inspection and enforcement team to comply with the order.
The teams will inspect the combine harvester, follow the rules related to straw-management and monitor the harvesting within the stipulated time.
The DCs have also been asked to ensure no unregulated arrival of tractor-trolleys carrying paddy, which may block public roads or entry/exit points of the mandis.
“There should be proper barricading and traffic diversions around congested procurement centres. Police, market committees and the civil administration will coordinate to manage the movement of vehicles,” the order reads.
In a statement, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the move and said, “While the BJP government claims it will procure every single grain, farmers with ready crops are struggling with restrictions on harvesting and difficulties in getting their produce to procurement centres.”
In another order issued on Thursday, the department allotted 249 centers in the state to three purchase agencies: Food Corporation of India (FCI), HAFED and Haryana State Warehousing Corporation (HSWC).
It stated that the allotted mandis in 22 districts, with a maximum of 50 in Fatehabad, shall be operated by the respective procurement agencies either exclusively or jointly.
The government is likely to begin biometric verification and issue gate passes for paddy arrival at the mandis, even though the Union government has yet to approve early procurement, despite the state’s demand and farmers’ protests.
Karnal DC Anand Kumar Sharma and Kaithal DC Aparajita chaired separate meetings in their districts with representatives of commission agents, rice millers and farmers’ associations, urging the millers to ensure their registration.
President of Karnal rice millers and dealers association Saurabh Gupta said that he apprised the DC about their pending issues with the state government. “He assured us that our grievances will be resolved at the earliest. But we will wait as we have a meeting with the chief minister,” Gupta told the HT.
In Kaithal, the millers led by Amarjit Chhabra, state president of the Haryana Pradesh Rice Millers and Dealers Association, raised issues that could be resolved at the district level.
The DC assured the millers that letters would be written to senior officials regarding headquarters matters and action would be taken immediately on district-level issues.
“To ensure no party faces any problems during the paddy season, it is essential that millers register in a timely manner,” she said.
