Arrival picks pace in Haryana, most wheat crop remains unsold due to high moisture content

Even as the Haryana government has relaxed procurement norms allowing farmers to bring their produce to mandis without schedule but most wheat reaching in the grain markets do not fit the procurement guidelines

Even as the Haryana government has relaxed procurement norms allowing farmers to bring their produce to mandis without schedule but most wheat reaching in the grain markets do not fit the procurement guidelines.

Labourers spreading wheat crop at a grain market in Karnal (Haryana) to bring down moisture content in it. (HT PHOTO)

Farmers reaching the mandis said that procurement agencies did not procure their produce due to higher moisture content and wheat crop is being scattered in mandis to bring down the moisture content to the permissible limit of 12%.

“I brought in 110 quintal wheat at 9am. Even my arhtiya reached out to mandi officials multiple times, but they did not come to measure the moisture content,” alleged farmer Angrej Singh, who was waiting for buyers at the new grain market in Karnal.

Another farmer Krishan Kumar, of Kutail village in Karnal, said, “Following government orders that wheat will be produced without any schedule, I brought my wheat of two acre to the mandi on Sunday but the officials of procurement agencies refused to buy it saying that the moisture content is 13%. Now the officials are saying that the moisture content should be below 12%.”

As per figures provided by mandi officials, total 9,000 MT wheat is reached grain markets in Karnal and only 871 MT wheat has been procured so far. Almost 90% wheat is lying unsold and of this, 1,100 MT crop is lying unsold in just Karnal grain market.

Officials associated with procurement procedure said wheat could not be procured because most of the wheat coming to mandis does not fulfil the criteria as the moisture content is high.

Additional chief secretary, Haryana agriculture department, Sumita Misra visited the Karnal grain market to review the procurement operations. She said that the criteria for procurement are fixed by the Centre and the state government cannot change the condition of moisture content.

“We examined the moisture content and it was found to be higher than the permissible limits. The wheat will be procured once the moisture comes to the permissible limit of 12%,” she added.