Massive inflows of paddy have overwhelmed the grain markets across the northern districts of Haryana, causing significant inconvenience to farmers. While truckloads of paddy continue to arrive daily, the sluggish pace of procurement and lifting by government agencies has created a glut-like situation, forcing farmers to wait long hours to unload their produce.
Farmers have reported a severe shortage of space inside the mandis, leading to long queues of tractor-trailers lined up along roads leading to the markets. This traffic congestion has added to the frustration of farmers, especially smallholders who rely on rented trailers to bring their produce to the mandis.
“The situation is so bad that we are forced to unload outside the mandis since agencies haven’t lifted the paddy procured even last week,” said Sohan Lal, a commission agent at the Ladwa grain market in Kurukshetra district.
Despite the steady arrival of paddy since in the past two weeks, procurement agencies have not kept pace with the influx. According to data from the Haryana Civil Suppliers and Consumer Affairs Department, a total of 27.45 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy has reached the mandis so far. Out of this, 23.21 lakh MT has been procured at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), but only 11.50 lakh MT has been lifted.
The remaining 16 lakh MT of paddy is still lying in the mandis, causing severe congestion and delaying further harvests. The lack of efficient grain lifting has impacted major markets in Indri, Nilokheri, and Taraori in Karnal district, as well as Ladwa, Pipli, Shahbad, Babain in Kurukshetra, and the old grain market in Kaithal. The state government has set a target of procuring 60 lakh MT of paddy this Kharif Marketing Season.
Small farmers, who do not own tractor-trailers, are bearing the brunt of the delays. Many of them are forced to rent trailers, and the drivers charge higher fees due to the long wait times and rising diesel costs.
“We have to spend over 10 hours just to sell a single trolley at the mandi,” said Madan Lal, a trailer driver waiting in line at the Indri grain market. This extended delay led to the extra charges from farmers.
The bottlenecks have also affected the harvesting schedule. With paddy fields ready for harvest, many farmers are stuck waiting to unload their previous batch, further delaying subsequent harvests.
In his maiden press conference on Friday, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini addressed the growing concerns and assured farmers that the government would procure every single grain brought to the mandis.
He emphasized that the state was committed to ensuring timely procurement and directed officials to prioritize the lifting of paddy with moisture content below 17 percent.