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Wheat procurement ops kick off in Haryana
During the process, which will continue till May 15, three agencies – HAFED, Haryana State Warehousing Corporation and Food Corporation of India (FCI) – will purchase the crop at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,585 per quintal.
The food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department of Haryana started wheat procurement operations on Wednesday at 416 purchase centres across the state as part of the rabi marketing season 2026-27.
During the process, which will continue till May 15, three agencies – HAFED, Haryana State Warehousing Corporation and Food Corporation of India (FCI) – will purchase the crop at a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,585 per quintal.
Haryana ranks second in wheat production in the country and contributes about 25% to the central pool.
On the first day, no wheat was purchased in the state, even though several quintals of the crop were recorded as entered at the mandis, officials said.
Farmers from the Karnal region said that harvesting has yet to pick up pace and it will take at least a week more for most of them to transport their crop for purchase.
Rules tweaked in backdrop of paddy procurement scam
This time, procurement comes in the backdrop of the multi-crore paddy procurement scam, which was unearthed last year in Karnal, Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra. At least 10 cases have been registered, over 30 officials or millers arrested and the investigation into the scam is still underway. The scam involved issuing fake gate passes by mandi board employees showing entry of excess paddy and enabling proxy procurement.
Official records showed receipt of paddy that never actually arrived at the grain market, which led to revenue loss for the government as the MSP of ₹2,389 per quintal was paid.
To avail MSP, farmers must register on the Meri Fasal, Mera Byora (MFMB) portal. It was found that the arhtiyas-millers created fake land registrations, even for land not meant for farming.
This enabled the issuance of gate passes in their names. Furthermore, procurement agencies showed fake purchases, which were later shown as inward at mills.
To bridge this shortfall between records and actual stock, millers sourced paddy or rice from other states at cheaper prices, while the government paid MSP resulting in major revenue loss.
Geo-fencing of mandis, biometric of farmers
This year, procurement began under the surveillance of CCTV cameras. During the bidding process, biometric verification of farmers registered on the “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” portal or any one of their three authorised representatives will be mandatory.
Officials said that all mandi locations have been geo-fenced which will ensure that the issuance of gate passes, auctions, the generation of ‘J-Forms’ (sale receipts), and the lifting of produce are conducted exclusively within the mandi premises, thereby preventing any unauthorised individual from fraudulently selling produce in the farmer’s name.
Similarly, the e-Kharid app is issuing gate passes for farmers, and uploading a photograph of the vehicle, along with its registration number, will be mandatory.
Karnal deputy commissioner Uttam Singh said that farmers without number plates will be allowed to display the number manually on paper or by paint or under special permission from the area sub-divisional magistrate.
During a visit to the Karnal new grain market, he said that officers concerned have undergone training to ensure smooth procurement operations and a dry run was successfully conducted on Tuesday.
Karnal ADC Rahul said that extra staff members have been deployed at the entry gate to ensure the process is conducted smoothly and gate passes are issued within the stipulated time from 6 am to 8 pm.
On the other hand, Pipli mandi association president Joginder Ramgarh and Kurukshetra district arhtiya association president Dharampal Mathana suggested to additional chief secretary (ACS) and administrative secretary G Anupama that the government’s schedule of 6 am to 8 pm be removed, ensuring smooth procurement operations even late at night.
Anupama, who inspected three mandis in the Kurukshetra district, said that farmers and traders will not face any problems and the state government’s initiative to integrate the markets with a digital system will curb corruption.
After visiting Gharaunda mandi, Vidhan Sabha speaker Harvinder Kalyan said that the government will ensure seamless procurement, with payments for wheat being directly transferred to farmers’ bank accounts.
