Karnal arhtiyas cry foul over Haryana-UP border closure to block wheat entry

By Parveen Arora

The district administration’s decision to seal the Haryana-Uttar Pradesh border at two points to prevent the arrival of wheat from outside Haryana into Karnal grain markets has sparked strong opposition among the arhtiyas of the district.

Officials say the measure is intended to stop farmers from the UP side, who are not registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal, from bringing their produce into Karnal’s mandis.However, local arhtiyas have condemned the move as discriminatory and damaging to their business. They argue that many farmers from Karnal have purchased agricultural land across the UP border, yet are now being barred from selling their wheat in Karnal markets.

They also highlighted that land belonging to some Karnal farmers lies within the Yamuna River belt, which falls under Karnal’s jurisdiction. As such land cannot be registered on the MFMB portal, these farmers are left stranded, unable to sell their produce.

Rajnish Chaudhary, chairman of the Haryana State Anaj Mandi Arhtiyas Association, described the decision as “selective sealing”, noting that borders in other districts with UP and neighbouring states remain open. “Sealing Karnal’s border is unfair. Why has Karnal alone been targeted? This step is destroying our business, especially since we had already advanced money to farmers during the off-season. Now, at the time of repayment, the administration has sealed the border, leaving us badly affected,” he said.

Rajesh Arora, an arhtiya from Karnal grain market, urged the administration to reconsider, stressing that the move undermines both farmers’ rights and the economic stability of Karnal’s mandis. He pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often spoken of “One Nation, One Mandi”, assuring farmers the freedom to sell their produce anywhere in the country. “But in Karnal, farmers are being stopped from selling their wheat,” he said.

Deputy Director Agriculture (DDA) Karnal, Dr Wazir Singh, explained that fields outside Haryana cannot be registered on the MFMB portal. “Farmers from outside Haryana who cultivate land within the state can be registered, provided their Aadhaar number is verified,” he clarified.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma said only crops of farmers registered on the MFMB portal will be procured. “No procurement of unregistered farmers will be done. For this, we have set up two checkpoints on the Haryana-UP border, with duty magistrates and police deployed to check and verify documents and crops,” said the DC.

This article has been republished from The Tribune.