In order to discourage paddy cultivation, the Haryana Government has imposed 'Haryana State Subsoil Water Conservation Act' in the state and banned sowing before May 15 and planting before June 15. This year, it has been decided to reduce the acreage of two lakh acres of paddy. This is double of last year. Along with this, the officials have been instructed to take strict action against farmers who sow and plant ahead of time. The Haryana government has implemented this rule on the lines of Punjab. The government claims that this decision has been taken to improve the falling groundwater level in the state.
According to the notification, if the official prepares the nursery for the paddy crop before May 15, then the authorized officer of the Department of Agriculture can destroy the nursery and a fine of ten thousand rupees per hectare will be charged from the farmer. In addition to this, the government expenditure incurred on destroying the nursery of the farmer will also be recovered from the farmer. The farmer cannot appeal against this action in any court and no legal or pecuniary penalty can be given against the officer. Amidst the ongoing farmer agitation against three new agricultural laws, the Manohar government has secretly put it into practice.
A senior official of the Agriculture Department said that it has now taken legal form after being passed in the Legislative Assembly on March 17. It has been sent to the agriculture department of all the districts for implementation.
This time the government has set a target for paddy cultivation in about 12 lakh hectares. My water, my heritage plan is also being implemented this year. Under crop diversification except paddy cultivation, farmers who grow millet, maize, pulses or vegetables will be given an incentive of Rs 7000 per acre. If the Haryana government's decision to reduce the acreage is implemented, then there will be around 52 lakh quintals of paddy in the state.
Farmer leaders of Haryana Kisan Sangharsh Samiti say, if the farmers' pulses, maize and other crops are sold on MSP, then the farmer can quit cultivating paddy. The government has promised to provide incentives to farmers in the last year, it has not been received yet and farmers in maize farming did not get the minimum support price. 800-900 per quintal of maize was sold last year, causing losses to farmers. Those who did not cultivate paddy last year will also cultivate paddy this year.
The Haryana government has been reducing the paddy acreage for the last two years and has also reduced the target of minimum support price, but the area and yield of paddy in the state says something else. According to official figures, it was 14.47 lakh hectares in the year 2018-19, while it increased to 15.59 lakh hectares in 2019-20. Even now, farmers are interested in paddy cultivation. The total yield of paddy in 2018-19 was 45.16 lakh MT, which has increased to 51.98 lakh MT in 2019-20. Since the formation of the state of Haryana, paddy acreage has increased by 712 per cent and yield by 241 per cent.
The farmers of Haryana are not ready to adopt other crops except paddy cultivation. The policy of Haryana Government regarding paddy is not correct. The incentive policy of Rs 7000 is not rational. Yields are 25–26 quintals on one acre. The government has fixed the MSP 1868 as Rs. According to this, there is an income of 47 to 48 thousand rupees. By the way, what would someone do with an incentive amount of Rs 7000. There is no guarantee of getting this amount.
Regarding the adoption of other crops, the government says to buy maize and millet at Rs 1850 MSP, but the reality is far from it. Last year, Mecca has sold between 800-900 rupees. There is an option to sell paddy in the open market, but maize is very difficult to sell.
Paddy cultivation is helpless. Farmers do not benefit from other crops, if they do not plant paddy, then the farmers will suffer starvation. Water is the priority of the farmer, but the direction of government policy is not right. There are 19 blocks in Haryana, which are in the dark zone, in which 11 blocks do not have paddy cultivation. It is not right to justify paddy as responsible for the water crisis. The government is only disturbing the farmers by making laws.
The government's reduction in acreage will have an impact on purchases at the lowest support price. Due to dwindling acreage, in the year 2021-22, about two lakh metric tonnes of government will buy less paddy. Even after high yields, farmers may face difficulties to sell their crops, as the government will stop buying on MSP once the purchase is made up to the specified target. The government had procured 58.82 lakh MT in 2018-19, 64.71 lakh MT in 2019-20. 56.07 lakh metric tonnes were procured in 2020-21. While yields were also higher this year.
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