Hisar: Even as the Centre ordered an investigation into the Rs 10,000-crore fake paddy procurement scam in Punjab, similar allegations involving a parallel scam worth over Rs 5,000 crore in Haryana triggered fresh demands for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Farmer bodies and whistleblowers alleged large-scale misappropriation of Central govt funds through forged procurement records, fake sale vouchers (J-Forms) and illegal trading practices in APMC mandis.
According to representations by Dr Virender Singh Lather, former Principal Scientist, ICAR, the Haryana scam mirrored the modus operandi reportedly uncovered in Punjab. Commission agents (arthiyas), rice millers and officials of procurement agencies allegedly colluded to show inflated paddy purchases, enabling the diversion of Minimum Support Price (MSP) funds. Official records showed that more than 62 lakh tonnes of paddy were reportedly procured in Haryana during the Kharif 2025 season — nearly 8 lakh tonnes more than the 54 lakh tonnes procured in Kharif 2024. This surge raised serious questions, as farmers and experts reported a 10–15 per cent decline in yield due to untimely rains, flooding, and widespread crop diseases such as dwarfing virus and loose smut between August and Oct 2025.Agricultural data further indicated that paddy was cultivated over approximately 15.5 lakh hectares in Haryana, of which nearly half was under basmati variety, which is not procured at MSP. The remaining 7.5 lakh hectares of parmal paddy could have yielded around 48 lakh tonnes at an average productivity of 6.2 tonnes per hectare.Despite this, procurement agencies allegedly showed purchases exceeding actual production by over 14 lakh tonnes, leading to an estimated loss of Rs 3,300 crore to the Central exchequer at the MSP rate of Rs 2,390 per quintal. The alleged scam involved the use of fake gate passes, forged J-Forms and illegal ‘Kachchi Parchi’ (informal sale slips), with farmers’ bank accounts reportedly used as conduits to route govt payments. After MSP amounts were credited through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), commission agents allegedly recovered large sums in cash from farmers, generating unaccounted and tax-free money.It was further alleged that farmers suffered an additional loss of nearly Rs 400 per quintal, amounting to over Rs 2,000 crore, due to the rampant ‘Kachchi Parchi’ system, even when their produce was already procured at MSP.The representation pointed out that fake paddy procurement scams were repeatedly reported in Haryana since 2014, with no stringent action against those involved. During Kharif 2020, Haryana allegedly procured 65 lakh tonnes of paddy against an estimated production of only 50 lakh tonnes, as per data. On Jan 27, 2026, the Punjab and Haryana high court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation, directed the Haryana govt to decide within 30 days on prohibiting illegal ‘Kachchi Parchi’ trading in APMC markets and to strictly enforce provisions of the APMC Act, 1961, which mandate immediate issuance of J-Forms and full payment after sale and weighment.Similar illegal practices, the petitioner claimed, were prevalent in Punjab and other states as well, undermining transparency and defeating the very purpose of the MSP regime. Citing the magnitude of the alleged fraud, the petitioner urged the Centre to order a CBI inquiry into the combined Rs 15,000-crore fake paddy procurement scams in Punjab and Haryana, terming it a matter of grave public interest affecting farmers, public finances and national food security. MSID: 128154765 413 |
