Chandigarh: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused the Haryana government of defrauding farmers.
He said government procurement is missing, forcing farmers to sell at below MSP. “Where are the BJP government’s Bhavantar Yojana and government procurement agencies?”
The government is continuously defrauding farmers by not paying the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops like paddy, millet, green gram, and cotton,” he questioned.
“Farmers’ crops are being sold at throwaway prices, while the government and agencies are missing. This is a betrayal of farmers. Meanwhile, long queues are forming for fertilisers. Farmers are struggling from sowing to selling their crops; the government has no time to care for them,” he added.
Hooda said millet is being sold at Rs 1,800 to Rs1,850 per quintal in the Narnaul mandis, but not a single grain has been purchased by the government. “Not a single grain of millet was purchased in the mandis of Nuh district either. Farmers did not receive a single penny above Rs1,700- Rs1,800 per quintal. The situation in Hisar mandis is even worse. Despite the MSP of Rs 2,775 per quintal, farmers are suffering losses,” he pointed out.
He said that 40,000 tons of Moong beans arrived in Hisar mandis, but government agencies did not purchase a single grain. He added that cotton and millet are also being sold at throwaway prices in Bhiwani mandis. “Cotton is being sold at Rs 6,500- Rs7,200 per quintal, while the MSP is Rs 8,100 per quintal. Due to the lack of government procurement, only millers are purchasing, resulting in complete losses for farmers,” he stated.