Chandigarh, Sep 24 Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Nayab Singh Saini government in Haryana over issues related to government procurement of paddy.
He slammed the government over “restrictions” imposed on the timing of combine harvester operations and problems faced by farmers in mandis (grain markets).
Surjewala alleged that while the BJP government claims it will “purchase every single grain,” farmers are increasingly trapped by government orders and systemic hurdles in harvesting their ready crop and transporting it to the mandi.
In a statement, Surjewala said that Haryana’s farmers are worried about the standing paddy crop in their fields, adding that the government is burdening them with diktats instead of providing relief.
“When a farmer hires a combine harvester (farm machine) at his own expense to harvest his own crop in his own field, who will bear the economic burden of such prolonged restrictions on harvesting time?” he asked.
“As per the government’s directive, combine harvester operations for paddy harvesting will remain banned from 6 pm to 10 am. This means farmers will have only eight hours a day for harvesting. Reports indicate that instructions in this regard have been issued at the district administration level across Haryana,” the Congress leader stated.
He said farmers have to cultivate according to the weather, not according to government files.
He pointed out that demand for combine harvesters already rises during the paddy harvesting season.
“If the operating time of machines is reduced by more than half, combine owners will be forced to cover more fields in less time, which is likely to directly push up rental charges. The increased cost will ultimately fall on the farmer’s pocket,” he said.
Surjewala said that paddy is a crop that must be harvested on time once it matures.
“If the weather turns bad, strong winds blow, or the crop lodges in the field, farmers can suffer heavy losses,” he said.
He asked the BJP government: if a farmer’s ready crop lodges and gets damaged in the field, saying, “Who will be responsible? Will the government compensate for that loss?”
He noted that farmers are already struggling with rising costs of diesel, labour, fertiliser, seeds, irrigation and machinery.
“On top of this, if available harvesting time is reduced and combine rents increase, the cost of cultivation will rise further,” he said.
Surjewala said that farmers’ troubles are not limited to harvesting time alone.
“The bigger issue is government procurement of paddy and MSP. On September 22, farmers staged a protest in Shahabad, Kurukshetra, demanding an early start of government paddy procurement. Police used tear gas and water cannons to stop the farmers,” he said.
Surjewala said that while the crop is reaching the mandis, farmers face the risk of having to sell below MSP as the government procurement is yet to begin.
He said that instead of grain in the hands of the farmer, who should hold it, the government has handed him trouble and waiting.
Surjewala also questioned the entry system and time-slot arrangements for farmers’ vehicles in mandis. He said that not every farmer in the state owns a tractor-trolley.
“Many hire tractor-trolleys to transport their crop to the mandi. If a farmer is delayed in reaching the mandi at the prescribed time or is denied entry due to the slot system, he may have to bear the cost of transportation all over again,” he said.
He alleged that a new obstacle is being placed at every step of the farmer’s journey from field to mandi. Surjewala said the government should tell farmers when government procurement will begin, “by when adequate staff and procurement arrangements will be in place in the mandis, and how farmers’ crops will be purchased on time, instead of attacking farmers with anti-farmer authoritarian decisions”.
He also attacked the government over its actions on stubble management, alleging that the government is pressuring farmers through fines, FIRs and “red entry” on land.
“On the one hand, farmers are being told not to burn stubble, while on the other the time available to clear the fields is being reduced. Let the government explain how a farmer is supposed to manage his crop and fields,” he asked.
Asserting that a farmer is not a criminal, he said, “He is the ‘annadata’ of the country and the state.”
Questioning Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, he asked, “Instead of looking at the farmer with suspicion at every step, why does the government not help him? Instead of threatening farmers with police, notices, fines and FIRs, why is he not given timely MSP, mandi access and procurement facilities?”
He said that if the government is truly pro-farmer, it must first do three things: “Start government procurement on time, ensure purchase at MSP, and provide an unhindered system for farmers from field to mandi.
(PTI News)
