Haryana eyes 7 mn tonnes of wheat procurement this rabi

The Haryana government has made elaborate arrangements for smooth procurement of wheat and other crops in the 2012-13 rabi season for the central pool, according to state food and supply minister Mahendra Pratap Singh.

The state expects 11.8 million tonnes of wheat, out of which about 7 million tonnes would be procured on minimum support price (MSP) by the procurement agencies. The food and supplies department would procure 33 per cent and Hafed would procure 30 per cent, while Confed would procure 7 per cent. Besides, Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Haryana Warehousing the Corporation and Haryana Agro Industries Corporation would procure 10 per cent wheat each, the minister said.

The arrangements for purchase of the wheat this rabi has already been made in 371 mandis — four more than the total for the last season, he said. The farmers had been advised to bring their foodgrains to the market after proper cleaning and drying in accordance with the norms set by the union government.

The state government’s agencies would procure wheat at a minimum support price Rs 1,285 per quintal. As for the rest of the crops, the following would be the MSP per quintal -- barley: Rs 980, gram and masur: Rs 2,800, and mustard: Rs 2,500.

The procuring agencies have been directed to ensure that the grain have basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, pucca platforms, covered sheds and parking lots for the farmers. Also, all the procuring agencies, including the FCI, have been directed to ensure adequate stocks of gunny bags, polythene and tarpaulins for timely and proper storage of procured foodgrains. There will be 24x7 hour control rooms set up at the state as well as district headquarters before the commencement of the season.