Days after farmers and activists attempted to block NH-44 at Shahabad in Kurukshetra demanding early paddy procurement, senior farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni on Friday lashed out at the government apathy over slow purchase and appealed the farmers to gather at the same spot on October 5.
Earlier on September 22, the police used force to push farmers away from the highway after which they staged a day-long sit-in on a state highway, which was lifted after government’s assurance on early purchase.
Usually, the Kharif procurement of paddy and bajra begins on October 1, but on September 28, the Union government approved advancement of purchase by two days to September 29.
However, Charuni said that despite the Centre’s assurance and approval, “not even a quintal” has been purchased or lifted at mandis. The farmer leader claimed that the government was yet to complete field verification on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal.
The government ordered field-verification for nearly 24 lakh acres of non-basmati paddy registered on the portal over concerns that majority of farmers growing basmati could have registered their crop as non-basmati, to get eligible for MSP.
Charuni said, “We have been struggling to get our crop sold at the mandis. But the government and bureaucracy has failed to complete verification to enable corruption. There has been no MSP purchase, no lifting and farmers are being pushed to commit suicide.”
{{/usCountry}}Charuni said, “We have been struggling to get our crop sold at the mandis. But the government and bureaucracy has failed to complete verification to enable corruption. There has been no MSP purchase, no lifting and farmers are being pushed to commit suicide.”
{{/usCountry}}Appealing the farmers to gather near Shaheed Udham Singh Chowk on Monday, he vowed for a “do-or-die battle”.
The farmers under the banner of BKU Tikait are also scheduled to gather in Yamunanagar for an annual mahapanchayat on Sunday, to be chaired by senior leader Rakesh Tikait.
The union is also likely to take up the slow purchase, apart from other issues of sugarcane farmers.
State president Ratan Mann, who visited Jundla mandi in Karnal, said, “Farmers waiting to sell their produce are forced to wait in the markets for days. If this exploitation of farmers continues, the government and administration will face adverse consequences, and farmers will be forced to launch a major agitation.”
CM visits K’shetra grain market
On the other hand, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini visited the Ladwa grain market in Kurukshetra to inspect the purchase process along with chairman of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board chairman advocate Vedpal and deputy commissioner (DC) Vishram Meena.
CM said that the state government has been serious about the interests of farmers and that no farmer will be allowed to face unnecessary trouble during the procurement.
He checked the moisture content of the paddy crop that arrived at the market and after speaking to the farmers and commission agents, he enquired about the procurement process.
CM appealed to the farmers to bring paddy crop with the prescribed moisture standard of 17 % to the market, to avoid inconvenience.
“There is no doubt that there is high moisture in paddy due to combine harvesting. We are also aware that there could be problems due to unseasonal rain, but we have made arrangements and we stand by the farmers. Every grain of the farmer’s paddy crop brought to the grain market will be purchased,” he said.
“Our ministers and MLAs, including myself are inspecting the markets. Guidelines have also been issued to all district deputy commissioners to closely monitor the procurement system. Additionally, a senior official from Chandigarh has also been assigned as the nodal officer for each market,” he added.