Hundreds of farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) protested against the delay in paddy procurement at Sangrur and Barnala districts on Saturday.
Sitting on dharnas outside district administrative complexes, farmers alleged that the central government was harassing them by making excuses.
The Union food and public distribution ministry on September 30 postponed paddy procurement in Punjab and Haryana to October 11 from October 1, citing high moisture content in the crop due to rain.
Slamming the move, farmers announced that they will intensify the agitation if the government refuses to start procurement by the central agencies immediately.
Chamkour Singh Nainewal, chief of the union’s Barnala district unit, said the paddy crop has been abandoned and the central government has not made any arrangements for procurement. “Due to the Centre’s anti-farmer policies, farmers are already under debt in Punjab and are forced to hold protests,” he said.