Hisar: Bajrang Garg—Provincial President of the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal and former Chairman of HAFED—held a meeting with representatives of the trading community. Addressing the gathering after the meeting and a subsequent inspection of the grain procurement operations, he stated that despite the ongoing government procurement of wheat and mustard in Haryana, the *mandis* (grain markets) lack even the most basic facilities required for grain procurement.
The government is causing harassment to farmers and *Arhtiyas* (commission agents) by issuing a constant stream of new decrees regarding grain procurement. Farmers are currently permitted to sell their produce in the *mandis* only between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM. This directive is bound to cause immense hardship to farmers and *Arhtiyas*, particularly given that farmers often work late into the night harvesting wheat in their fields before transporting it to the *mandis*.
The government's imposition of a strict time limit for grain procurement will result in long queues of tractor-trolleys forming both inside the *mandis* and along the roads leading to them. Consequently, this will lead to severe traffic congestion within the *mandis* and on the surrounding roads. Bajrang Garg asserted that the government must immediately make arrangements for gunny bags (*bardana*) and wooden crates required for the procurement of wheat and mustard.
In accordance with its own declarations, the government should ensure that the procurement, lifting (transportation), and payment for wheat are completed within a strict timeframe of 72 hours. Furthermore, the government should release the commission due to *Arhtiyas* and the wages for laborers simultaneously with the payment for the procured crops; currently, however, *Arhtiyas* often do not receive their commissions—and porters do not receive their wages—for periods extending up to six months. Bajrang Garg noted that, for the past 30 years, *Arhtiyas* have been entitled to a commission of 2.5 percent on grain procurement.
The government should pay the *Arhtiyas* their full commission entitlement on wheat procurement—which currently amounts to ?64.62—without any deductions. It is patently unjust that, year after year, the government fails to pay the *Arhtiyas* their full commission dues for both wheat and paddy procurement. Finally, the government must provide adequate financial compensation for the wheat and mustard crops that have been damaged due to heavy rainfall and hailstorms. Bajrang Garg urged the government to provide a bonus of ?500 per quintal to farmers on wheat procurement, thereby offering them much-needed relief.
Present on this occasion were numerous merchant representatives and farmers, including Pawan Garg (District President, Grain Market Association), Mangeram Ralwasiya (President, Hisar Mandi), Bajrang Asrawan (Vice President), Jagdish Godara (Secretary), Anil Jain (Former President, Mandi Hospital), Pawan Bansal, Niranjan Goyal, Pawan Gupta, Pankaj Ralwasiya, Rahul Garg, Satya Prakash Arya, Krishna Goyal, Ved Goyal, Prem Mittal, and Subhash Chandra.