Friday, September 23, 2016

Haryana Govt issues guidelines for Kharif Marketing Season

CHANDIGARH, SEPT 23
The Haryana Government has issued guidelines for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2016 beginning October 1.
        While stating this here today, an official spokesman said that procurement of leviable paddy would begin on  October 1 and continue up to December 15 and the period of procurement of Bajra would be from  October 1 to November  15, 2016.The Central Government has fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy as Rs 1470 per quintal  for  common variety and for Grade A variety it is Rs 1510 per quintal.He said that in case of coarse grain,  the MSP for Bajra is Rs 1330 per quintal, Jowar (hybrid) Rs 1625 per quintal and Maize (Maladandi) will be procured at MSP of Rs 1625 per quintal.
          He said that on the basis of reports from Agriculture Department and field, it is estimated that about 42 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of leviable paddy would arrive in the mandis and purchase centres of Haryana. Procurement agencies’ share of  purchase would be about 41 LMT. The rest about  one LMT is expected to be purchased by millers and dealers. The leviable paddy purchased by the procurement agencies will have to be got milled and the entire Custom Milled Rice (CMR) manufactured from such paddy will have to be delivered to Central Pool by the end of March 2017.
    He said that the State Government is committed to make payments to farmers within 48-72 hours. Sufficient cash credit limit for purchase of Paddy and Bajra is being arranged from Reserve Bank of India. The payment to farmers will be made through Billing-cum-Payment Agents (BCPAs) and Kachha Arhtia or as per the choice of the farmer is direct payment or through Arhtia. The BCPAs will ensure timely payment to the farmers through arhtias, proper weighment of foodgrains, maintenance of proper accounts of foodgrains purchased and lifting the stocks from kacha arhtias.
    The specifications for Kharif Marketing Season 2016-17 have been received from the Central Government and   circulated to all concerned. Damaged, sprouted and weevilled grains should not exceed four per cent.
    In case of paddy, the maximum limit of inorganic as well as organic foreign matter is one per cent. The maximum limit of damaged, discoloured, sprouted and weeviled grains is five per cent. Similarly, the maximum limit of immature, shrunken, shriveled grains is three per cent and that of admixture of lower classes six per cent. The maximum limit of moisture Content is 17 per cent.
          The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department would make its control rooms functional at the State headquarters as well as District Headquarters well before the commencement of the season. Similarly, other Procurement Agencies will also set up their control rooms at their State Headquarters as well as District Headquarters. The Procurement Agencies will ensure to communicate information about the procurement to the control rooms of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department on day-to-day basis. The Department, in turn, will communicate the procurement information to the Central Government and other concerned quarters on day-to-day basis.
    The following are the specifications for procurement of rice :
 
Refractions
Maximum Limit (%)
 
 
 
Grade-A
Common
 
  1.  
Broken*
Raw
Parboiled/sin. le Parboiled rice
25.0
16.0
25.0
16.0
 
  1.  
Foreign Matter Raw/Parboiled/single      parboiled
rice
0.5
0.5
 
  1.  
Damaged#/Slightly                   Damaged
grains
Raw
Parboiled /single parboiled rice
3.0
4.0
3.0
4.0
 
  1.  
Discoloured grains
Raw
Parboiled simile/ Parboiled rice
3.0
5.0
3.0
5.0
 
 
Chalky Grains
Raw
5.0
5.0
 
  1.  
Red Grains
Raw/              Parboiled/      single
parboiled rice
3.0
3.0
 
  1.  
Admixture of lower class Raw/Parboiled/                     single
parboiled rice
6.0
 
 
  1.  
 Dehusked grains Raw/Parboiled/single parboiled rice
13.0
-
9.
Moisture content@ Raw/Parboiled/single                                       parboiled
rice
14.0
14.0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 *  Not more than one per cent by weight shall be small broken.
** Not more than 0.25 per cent by weight shall be mineral matter and not more than 0.10 per cent by weight shall be impurities of animal origin.
# including Pinpoint damaged grains.
@ Rice (both Raw and Parboiled/Single Parboiled) can be procured with moisture contents upto a maximum limit of 15 per cent  with the value cut. There will be no value cut upto 14 per cent Between 14per cent to 15% moisture value cut will be applicable at the rate of full value.
    In case of Bajra, it will be the dried and matured grains of Pennisetum typhoides. It shall have uniform size and shape and would be in sound merchantable condition and also conforming to prescribed norms under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006/Rules prescribed thereunder.
     The foreign matter could be one per cent, other foodgrains three per cent, damaged grains 1.5 per cent, slightly damaged and discoloured grains 4.5 per cent, shriveled and immature grains four per cent, weevilled grains one per cent and moisture 14 per cent.
          In case of foreign matter, not more than 0.25 per cent by weight shall be mineral matter and not more than 0.10 per cent by weight shall be impurities of animal origin.Bajra grains which are dull in appearance having changed the colour due to deteriorative changes are to be considered as decoloured grains and bajra grains having natural luster and sound in condition, even of different colour due to genetic/varietal characteristic may be treated as sound kernels.
    He pointed out that the prices of CMR for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2016-17 have not yet been received from the Central Government. However, the same would be communicated immediately on their receipt. The prices of CMR fixed by the Central Government for KMS 2015-16 for common variety were, Rs 2,468.06 for raw rice and Rs 2,427.63 for parboiled rice. Similarly, in case of Grade-A variety, the price of raw rice was Rs 2,533.48 and for parboiled rice Rs 2,491.50.
    While referring to the mode of procurement of leviable paddy and Bajra, he said that all the procurement agencies will ensure that their staff enters the Mandis allotted to them on the commencement of KMS 2016. In case the prices of Paddy/Bajra fall below the MSP, the same would be purchased on MSP as per specifications issued by the Central Government.
    He said that while the share of procurement of paddy by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department and that of HAFED is 33 per cent each, the Food Corporation of India would procure 12 per cent, Haryana Agro Industries Corporation 10 per cent and Haryana Warehousing Corporation 12 per cent. Bajra, however, would be purchased only by state agencies excluding FCI. From the start of the season, the staff of Procurement Agencies will remain present in the mandis on the day allocated to them and affect the purchase of Paddy and Bajra in the event of market price falling below the MSP.
    As per existing instructions of the Chief Administrator Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB), auction of heaps will be under taken everyday from both sides of mandis at 10 a.m. and 3p.m. simultaneously. The offices of the Market Committees will also remain open on all holidays that is Saturdays and Sundays and gazetted holidays during Kharif Procurement Season. The Deputy Commissioners and all concerned will ensure that auctioning of heaps take place regularly and any violation in this regard will not be allowed to take place.
           For the convenience of the farmers, two boards in Hindi indicating specifications of Paddy and Bajra as laid down by the Central Government and the price payable would be displayed at prominent and conspicuous places in each mandi. In case of big mandis, the number of such boards would be increased according to the need. It would be the responsibility of the Procurement Agencies to ensure that representative samples of Paddy and Bajra are properly drawn everyday in each mandi and analyzed in order to determine its proper quality. While ascertaining the quality of Paddy and Bajra, it would be ensured that the interest of the farmers is fully protected. It is necessary for the Procurement Agencies to exercise strict supervision and control at all stages of operations so as to ensure that there are no malpractices or manipulations in transactions of the procurement.
    He said that complaints are generally received in some cases that the stocks of Paddy/Bajra are rejected by the procurement agencies on the plea that these do not conform to the prescribed specifications and such stocks are purchased by the trade at very low rates and then passed on to the procurement agencies the next day or after a few days at the procurement prices. Therefore, the procuring staffs have to be very vigilant and take all steps to ensure that the farmers are not exploited in any way and that there is no collusion of any kind. Whenever the stocks of paddy and bajra are rejected, it would be personally verified and checked by the staff of procuring agencies whether the stocks were actually not in accordance with the prescribed specifications and were rightly rejected and that these could not be improved by cleaning or otherwise.
    He said that a written communication to this effect has been sent to all Divisional Commissioners, Managing Directors of all procuring agencies, Deputy Commissioners and District Food and Supplies Controllers.

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