Khattar’s statement irks paddy growers, farmer leaders

Farmers said they were told to take their paddy back home and were suggested to sell rice instead of paddy like traders to earn more profit

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s advice to paddy growers evoked severe response from farm union leaders, who accused him of “rubbing salt on wounds of paddy growers”.

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The chief minister on Friday reached grain market in Panipat to inspect the procurement operations when farmers apprised him of various problems, including fall in prices of the long-grained varieties of paddy. They urged the chief minister to find out a solution to the issue.

However, the farmers said they were told to take their paddy back home and were suggested to sell rice instead of paddy like traders to earn more profit.

A video of the chief minister’s visit surfaced on the social media on Sunday where he is heard saying, “Aap aaisa kyu nahi karte ho, ki chawal nikla kar rakh lo. Jab chawal mehanga ho jayega tab bech lena (Why don’t your (farmers) keep your paddy aside for a while and wait for the prices to go up)

The farmers said they had appealed to the chief minister to protect them from losses due to fall in the prices of paddy. They said they were being forced to sell basmati varieties about Rs 1,000-1,200 per quintal below the prices last year and urged the chief minister to take up the issue with Union government, to which he said, “ To ab Hum Log Kya kare ? (What can we (government) do now?).”

Later, interacting with the media, the chief minister clarified that the government agencies were procuring only Parmal varieties of paddy on Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1,835 per quintal and does not have any role in the procurement of Basamti varieties, which are procured by the private agencies.

The members of Bartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leaders expressed their anguish over the chief minister’s statement.

BKU (Panipat district) president Kuldeep Balana said the chief minister has “rubbed salt on the wounds of the farmers by making such irresponsible statement”.

He said the farmers are being forced to sell their produce at negligible prices of 1,000-1,200 per quintal against Rs 3,200-3,400 per quintal last year.

The farmers also alleged that chief minister had come to hear problems of farmers but left without giving any assurance.

When contacted, BKU state president Ratan Mann said, “The farmers are ready to accept chief minister’s advice if he provides the required financial support to them for setting up of rice sellers and license to sell rice in open market like rice traders.”