Market for paddy set to improve only after Oct 15

“Procurement had become a challenge last year as there was kala dana (black grain) everywhere due to bad weather. But this year, too, all the farmers will be running into heavy losses because there was a sharp increase in the prices of diesel, labour and manure. Lack of rains further worsened the condition,” said Surinder Singh, a farmer from Fatehgarh Sahib, who has been coming to the grain market in Kharar for the last 13 years.

There are 11 procurement centres in the district, with the primary ones located at Kharar, Kurali, Banur, Lalru and Dera Bassi. According to Deputy Commissioner T P S Sidhu, 1.28 lakh metric tonnes of paddy are expected to be procured this season, which is the same as last year. The district authorities had paid around Rs 162 crore for the procurement last year.

The moisture content in the paddy, too, poses a problem for the farmers. If the moisture is found to be more than 17 per cent, it is rejected and left to dry before it can be procured. For this reason, the state government has banned the use of combines for harvesting in the evening hours, when the harvested crop becomes moist.

“However, the practice goes unchecked. Officials should ensure that no harvesting takes place before 11 am or after 5 pm so that the paddy remains dry. It becomes a serious problem here when farmers land with moist paddy which is then put out to dry, and involves additional labour cost. Also, the unripe crop is often harvested when the combines work at night,” said Amritpal Singh, who is a farmer and the president of the Kharar Commission Agents’ Association.

Another commission agent, Narender Sharma, said, “Last year, when the crop was damaged, mill owners bought it at prices below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and farmers were helpless. The MSP for paddy this year has been increased from Rs 1,350 per kg to Rs 1,400 per kg. But the agricultural costs increased manifold. The farmers have suffered huge losses.”

DC Sidhu said that the total area under paddy is around 27,000 hectares in the district, and the yield per hectare this season is expected to be 4,921 kg. “Elaborate arrangements have been made at the mandis for the procurement, and all officials have been directed to ensure that farmers are not put to any inconvenience,” he said.