: The Haryana government is likely to achieve the target of procuring 55 lakh MT of paddy on minimum support price (MSP) despite yield loss due to unseasonal rains and dwarfing disease, the state agriculture department has claimed, amid talks that arrival of rice from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh could help the procurement agencies to accomplish the number.
Earlier, the state agriculture department had predicted an overall loss of 20 per cent in paddy production in the state as, according to the official figures, rains had affected around 11 lakh acres of the total 34.5 lakh acres under paddy in the state.
Even farmers in the state have been claiming that unseasonal rains have caused yield loss in both parmal and basmati varieties of paddy in Haryana.
However, officials in the state agriculture department are of the view that the government will most likely achieve the target of procuring 55 lakh MT of paddy on minimum support price.
Hardeep Singh, director general of agriculture and farmers welfare department, said that earlier, there were some reports of huge loss to all three major kharif crops, including paddy, bajra and cotton.
“But now, we do not see any major impact on paddy production if we go by the figures of procurement as around 28 lakh MT paddy has already been procured and we are expecting that the target of 55 lakh MT will be achieved easily,” he said.
However, ground level reports from the mandis suggest that that arrival of paddy from Uttar Pradesh may help government agencies to achieve the set target.
“Yes, the yield is below expectations this year but we have adjusted the produce of our farmers from UP to fill the gap in the Meri Fasal Mera Beyora portal of our local farmers,” said an arhtiya of Kurukshetra’s Ladwa grain market.
Also, as per the state government figures, the state has around 25 lakh acres under parmal varieties of paddy, while only 2.62 lakh acres were registered under the basmati varieties.
But the officials monitoring the figures said that out of the total 34.50 lakh acres under paddy in the state, around 20.50 lakh acres were under basmati varieties, but most of the farmers have shown their produce as parmal, thus creating a window for the non-registered farmers, especially for those from other states, to sell their produce in Haryana mandis.
“This will also help Haryana government and procurement agencies to achieve the procurement target,” said a senior officer from Haryana state agriculture marketing board on the condition of anonymity.
Putting a check on the movement of foodgrains from Uttar Pradesh has remained a challenge for the authorities in Haryana. The Meri Fasal Mera Beyora (MFMB) portal was introduced to ensure that only registered farmers of the state could get the benefit of the MSP by selling their produce in the mandis of the state.
A senior officer of the state admitted that paddy from other states could also be a factor behind high inflow of foodgrains in Haryana mandis as this year, per acre yield of parmal paddy in Haryana was likely to remain below 25 quintals against 28 to 30 quintals fixed by the government under the MFMB portal.
Ramesh Kumar, a farmer of Radaur in Yamunanagar district, said that not only rains, dwarfing disease has also caused yield loss and this year, his three acres produced only 46 quintals of PR 114 against 85 acres produced last year.
According to officials from the agriculture department, most of the damages were reported in the early maturing varieties such as Pusa-1509 and Pusa-1692, and PR-126 as these crops matured when the weeklong rains were reported in the state in September.
Vijay Setia, former president of all India rice exporters association, said that there was no major impact on yield and production this year.
The officials said that out of the total 7 lakh hectares under basmati cultivation in the state, its production may remain around 37 lakh MT.
“Though there was an impact of rain at some parts, but this year farmers have shifted to high yielding Pusa 1692 and Pusa 1509 varieties against the traditional varieties, which will help to compensate the yield loss caused by the rains or water logging,” he said.
The officials said that nearly 90,000 farmers from the state have reported crop damage over 3.30 lakh on e-Fasal Kshatipurti Portal.
Last year, the government had procured 55.30 lakh MT parmal paddy from 3.10 lakh farmers of the state on MSP against 56.54 lakh MT procured in 2020-21.
