Farmers protest in Karnal over slow procurement of paddy
The sloganeering farmers threatened to intensify the agitation and demanded the administration to allow the arrival of paddy as they have to spend several hours at the gates of the mandi
: Hundreds of farmers staged a protest and blocked the NH 44 on Friday against the slow procurement and non-issuance of gate passes at Karnal grain market.
The sloganeering farmers threatened to intensify the agitation and demanded the administration to allow the arrival of paddy as they have to spend several hours at the gates of the mandi.
As per the information, the farmers and arhtiyas alleged that the government agencies were not showing interest in the procurement of paddy after October 22 as there were reports that the farmers from Uttar Pradesh were selling their produce in the registration of the Haryana farmers on Meri Fasal Mera Bayora (MFMB) portal.
Thousands of quintals of parmal variety of paddy were lying unsold in the mandi for the past couple of days.
On Friday, the district administration stopped issuing the gate passes till further orders, agitating the farmers who held a protest and blocked NH 44 for a few minutes.
Later, the mandi officials pacified them and they agreed to lift the blockade.
“I had come to the mandi with my produce two days ago but they did not issue the gate pass even though I am registered on the MFMB portal,” alleged a protesting farmer.
Karnal deputy commissioner Anish Yadav, on the other hand, has issued an advisory that not even a single grain from UP farmers will be procured in the mandis of the district.
As per the official figures, around 10.53 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were purchased by procurement agencies in Karnal.
Sunder Kamboj, mandi secretary, said that there are strict instructions from the government to allow the procurement only after proper verification of produce and farmers.
