Ludhiana, June 26
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has flayed the government for its failure to announce support prices of rabi crops, saying that farmers were feeling cheated as the government had not kept its word in declaring the support prices of rabi and kharif crops in March and September respectively.
Talking to mediapersons here today, BKU acting president Manjit Singh Kadian remarked that the government had already paid a heavy price for delay in announcement of procurement price of wheat earlier this year which had led to scarcity and import of wheat to meet the domestic demand.
He charged the Centre, and Punjab Government, with gross apathy towards the farmers which had created insecurity and confusion among the farmers. In the absence of the procurement price of the crops, the farmers could not plan the crop pattern at the time of sowing, with the result that the farm economy was stagnating.
Kadian called upon the government to announce the support price of the coming crops on the basis of wholesale price index which worked out to Rs 795 per quintal for paddy, Rs 865 for parmal, Rs 3750 for cotton, Rs 3300 for oil seeds and pulses and Rs 168 per quintal for sugarcane.
He came down heavily upon the state government for non-payment of promised bonus on the procurement of wheat. He demanded that funds should be released for payment of bonus on wheat without any further delay and arrears of Rs 20 per quintal bonus on paddy should also be paid.
Kadian reiterated the demand for remission of all old debts outstanding against farmers, farm workers and Dalits and further asked the government to slash rate of interest on fresh loans to 4 per cent so that the beneficiaries were in a position to repay the loans.
He said a meeting of the BKU would be convened here on July 1 to discuss the support prices of the coming crops.
