As thousands of angry farmers protested outside residences of ministers and legislators, climbing over barricades and facing water canons, agitating against the government’s decision to postpone buying paddy, the Centre relented and agreed to their demands and said that they will begin the process from Sunday instead of October 11.
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday held protests at many places against the postponing of paddy procurement. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Friday had given a call for holding protests outside the residences of legislators in both states to register their protest over the delay in purchasing paddy crop.
Following this, Haryana Chief Minister had met Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Environment, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in which the decision to start the procurement was taken.
“Kharif procurement season is starting. Paddy procurement was to start from October 1, it was changed to October 11 due to delay in monsoon. I met the minister and we have decided that procurement will start from tomorrow,” Khattar said after his meeting with Choubey in Delhi.
Paddy procurement usually commences from October 1.
According to farmers, the grain has already ripened and hence they have started moving it to mandis, a delay of 11 days, they said, would mean the grain will fall from the panicle thus resulting in low yield.
The farmers feared that if not picked up from mandis at the right time, they would be forced to sell it to private players and they apprehend that they would not be paid an MSP of Rs1,960 per quintal. Farmers of these states say that not many of them have the capacity to store after the harvesting time.
Sanyunk Kisan Morcha leader Balbir Rajewal who has been spearheading the farmer’s agitation said, “”The goverment can’t keep farmers waiting, the mandis in some districts of Punjab are already seeing a surge in paddy arrivals, how are they expected to keep a watch. This is just another way of harassing farmers,’’ he told News18.com
Farmer leaders pointed out that the delayed procurement process would have also raised concerns about increased stubble burning. They explained that the farmers with this date of procurement get at least 20 days or more between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing, however if it is delayed, they would get a breather of only ten days before sowing the next crop.
As per data available, already 13,000 metric tonnes of paddy has arrived in the mandis and amid lack of security and fear of getting lower prices, farmer leaders say that hey have no other option other than agitating against the government.
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