Setting up malls for agri produce not practical: Dhankar

Decision of the previous Congress government to set up four agro malls in Panchkula, Karnal, Panipat and Rohtak was not practical, Haryana's Agriculture Minister, Om Prakash Dhankar said today.
"There is huge difference in marketing of agricultural and industrial produce. Marketing of agricultural produce through Agro Mall is not practical," Dhankar told reporters here.
Dhankar said now the government is mulling using these Agro Malls as general malls or like shopping malls.
"However, the revenue generated through these malls would be utilised for the welfare of farmers," said Dhankar, who is leading a delegation of Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board on a China visit from November 24 to 29, to study in depth the level of infrastructure, systems, methods being provided in the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets of the neighbouring nation.

Asked about 'special girdawari' (survey) to assess the damage caused by pest whitefly attack on cotton and other crops, the minister said that the work of 'girdawari' has been completed and the distribution of compensation would be started within next 15 to 20 days.
On allegation levelled by opposition regarding scams in paddy procurement, the Minister termed these as false and baseless and further said that not a single farmer has lodged any complaint in this regard.

"Responsible opposition should not level such false charge," he said, hitting out at INLD and Congress, both of which have alleged paddy scam to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore.

Seeking to clear the air, Dhankar said, "Every year paddy is procured by rice millers on behalf of government agencies and for which necessary quota is prescribed. The farmers after harvesting their paddy through combine harvester machines bring the same hastily to the market, sometimes with moisture content of the crop as high as 22-25 per cent, much above the limit of 17 per cent, just in their bid to sell the produce immediately."
"The 'Arhitiyas' or Commission Agents and the farmers arrive at a mutual agreement, which has been the practice in past years as well, on cut due to higher moisture content and the farmer willingly agrees to minus a few kgs per quintal which the Agent says will get less when he dries up the produce.

On leading the delegation, Dhankar said that China has
significantly improved in terms of post harvest losses in fruits and vegetable in recent years and resultantly income of farmers has increased.
"This has brought in rural prosperity and has made China a leading nation in the production of horticulture products in the world. The level of infrastructure in wholesale markets has improved exports in a big way and which is why today Japan and Korea largely depend on imports from China," he said.
He said that a modern terminal market, aiming to be one of the largest markets in the world, is being developed at Ganaur, Sonepat, Haryana, which would be made functional in the next 18-24 months.

"There is a possibility of daily arrival of more than 20,000 trucks carrying products in this market. Emphasis would be laid on better packaging, minimising losses and better transportation management," he said, adding a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be developed for this purpose.
Dhankar said the delegation will visit cities of Beijing, Zhengzhou and Shenzhen for two days each to study the markets there.
"Though initially we had also planned to visit Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia, but keeping in view the Haryana Assembly session commencing from November 30, we decided to keep the visit short," he said.
During the visit, the delegates from Haryana would also participate in the 8th China International Agro-Product Trade Fair from November 27 to 29, at Zhengzhou, China on the invitation of Agricultural Wholesale Market Association (CAWA), he informed.

Dhankar informed that among others the delegation comprises MLAs Ghanshyam Dass, Sukhvinder Singh Sheoran and Pawan Kumar Saini.
With last year there being acute shortage of fertilisers, Dhankar assured that sufficient amount of 3.50 lakh Metric Tonnes of fertilizer is available.
On crushing season of sugar mills, the minister said that Sugarcane Board has given time for starting the sugar mills and all mills would start crushing on the prescribed time.
Usually, crushing begins in the last week of November or first week of December, Dhankar said, adding that per quintal rate of sugarcane in Haryana is "maximum in the country".