Paddy lifting bottleneck hits Ballah mandi; HIRD Director Dr Chauhan directs officials to fast-track procurement
Slow paddy lifting at Ballah grain market, blamed on linkage to just one rice mill and a shortage of trucks, came under scrutiny as Haryana Rural Development Institute (HIRD) director Dr Virender Singh Chauhan directed officials to fast-track procurement and clear the backlog. He also warned fertiliser dealers against illegally bundling pesticides with fertiliser, following complaints from farmers.
Girish Saini
Oct 14, 2026 08:37
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Assandh, October 13, 2026: Slow paddy lifting at Ballah grain market, blamed on linkage to just one rice mill and a shortage of trucks, came under scrutiny as Haryana Rural Development Institute (HIRD) director Dr Virender Singh Chauhan directed officials to fast-track procurement and clear the backlog. He also warned fertiliser dealers against illegally bundling pesticides with fertiliser, following complaints from farmers.
During a visit to the mandi, Dr Chauhan reviewed procurement arrangements and interacted with farmers, commission agents and officials of Hafed and the Food and Supplies Department. Farmers said the Ballah sub-yard had been linked to only one rice mill so far, while inadequate deployment of trucks by the contractor was further slowing the lifting process.
Taking up the issue, Dr Chauhan spoke to Karnal District Food and Supplies Controller over the phone and directed officials to speed up procurement and lifting to prevent inconvenience to farmers.
Farmers also complained that fertiliser dealers were selling pesticides and other agricultural chemicals by tagging them with fertiliser. Dr Chauhan said such forced bundling was illegal and urged farmers to report violations to the Agriculture Department for action.
He stressed that farmers must not face unnecessary delays or financial burden and called for better coordination among departments to ensure smooth procurement and fair access to agricultural inputs.
Hafed inspectors Kavita and Klesh, mandi supervisor Bunty Hooda, Hafed representative Vinod Rana, commission agents and farmers attended the meeting.
