Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister, Shyam Singh Rana, and Public Works and Public Health Engineering Minister, Ranbir Gangwa visited the Barwala grain market on Sunday. They reviewed the arrangements for crop procurement and lifting, and also listened to the grievances of farmers and traders.
During the visit, farmers and traders accused a HAFED employee of harassing them. Taking serious note, the Agriculture Minister directed that the employee be suspended. He also sought detailed information regarding crop arrivals and lifting, and directed officers to ensure prompt lifting so that farmers do not face any inconvenience.
Regarding biometric verification of farmers, he said that farmers can register the names of three individuals for crop sale, and any one of them can come and sell the produce. Apart from thumb verification, options such as OTP and other alternatives have also been provided.
He further said that due to relatively lower temperatures in March this year, the wheat crop has been good, leading to an increase in per-acre yield. The Minister also directed officers to improve mandi arrangements.
He added that the effective implementation of schemes such as ‘Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana’, ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal’, ‘Uttam portal’, ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’, ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ and the ‘e-Kharid’ system has ensured fair prices for farmers’ produce while enhancing transparency.
The Minister said that the new mandi system is in the interest of farmers and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritising the procurement of crops from local farmers.
