Chandigarh, Sep 10 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, on Wednesday, held a high-level meeting with administrative officers here to review preparations for the upcoming kharif season, government officials said.

He directed officers to ensure that farmers do not face any inconvenience and all necessary arrangements are in place at ‘mandis’ and procurement centres.

The Chief Minister said that one inspector will remain on duty in every ‘mandi’ for 24 hours and strict action will be taken in case of negligence.

He added that farmers’ crops will be procured at the minimum support price (MSP).

The MSP rates have already been fixed by the government.

The Chief Minister said that the farmers should be informed via SMS about which ‘mandi’ has been designated for the purchase of their crops.

He also directed that gate passes must be sent to farmers’ mobile phones.

Scanner facilities should also be made available so that farmers can download the gate pass on their mobile phones and do not face any trouble, he said.

The Chief Minister emphasised the need to promote soybean cultivation, saying that nutritious products made from soybean are beneficial for health.

He said that bonus will be given on crops such as black sesame, urad, arhar and soybean.

The Chief Minister directed that advanced technology machines should be purchased for moisture testing, so that farmers do not face any problems.

He also instructed that laboratories be established in ‘mandis’ for moisture testing.

The Chief Minister said the farmers should not face any inconvenience in selling their crops and that adequate arrangements must be ensured at procurement centres and mandis.

He directed officers to provide facilities for drinking water, drainage, sanitation, and crop security.

He also ordered installation of digital and electronic weighing machines in ‘mandis’ to ensure accurate weighing of crops.

He said that to protect crops from damage due to rain, sufficient arrangements should be made for high-quality storage and tarpaulins.

For the kharif year, the state government has fixed the MSP for various crops with the aim of ensuring better income for farmers.

The MSP has been fixed at Rs 2,369 per quintal for paddy (common) and Rs 2,389 per quintal for paddy (Grade-A).

For jowar (hybrid) it’s Rs 3,699 per quintal, and for Maldandi jowar it’s Rs 3,749 per quintal.

For bajra, the MSP is Rs 2,775 per quintal, for maize Rs 2,400 per quintal, for tur or arhar Rs 8,000 per quintal, for moong Rs 8,768 per quintal, for urad Rs 7,800 per quintal, for groundnut Rs 7,263 per quintal, for soybean (yellow) Rs 5,328 per quintal, for sesame Rs 9,846 per quintal and for black sesame is Rs 9,537 per quintal.

–IANS

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