HAFED has termed a news item published in a leading national Hindi daily on April 1, 2026, regarding the incorrect Minimum Support Price (MSP) of sunflower seed mentioned in procurement instructions issued by HAFED, as misleading and far removed from the facts.
Stating this here today, a spokesperson of HAFED clarified that procurement instructions were initially issued by HAFED vide letter dated March 19, 2026, wherein the MSP of all crops was correctly mentioned.
However, due to an inadvertent clerical error, the MSP of sunflower seed was mistakenly mentioned as Rs 6,540 per quintal instead of the MSP for the current year.
The error was subsequently noticed and rectified. Revised instructions, superseding the earlier ones, were issued on March 29, 2026, wherein the correct MSP of sunflower seed for the current year, i.e., Rs 7,721 per quintal, was duly incorporated. The revised instructions were promptly communicated to all concerned.
It is pertinent to highlight that the news report referred only to the initial instructions and completely ignored the revised instructions already issued, thereby presenting an incomplete and misleading picture.
Further, the news item attributed a statement to the District Manager, HAFED, Kurukshetra. In this regard, it is clarified that no reporter contacted the concerned District Manager, and the statement attributed to him is incorrect and unauthorised.
Such reporting has not only caused reputational harm to HAFED but may also create unwarranted confusion among farmers.
It is also reiterated that the MSP of all crops is fixed by the Government of India, and procurement in Haryana is undertaken strictly at the notified MSP by state procurement agencies, including HAFED. The State Government remains fully committed to ensuring procurement of farmers’ produce at MSP.