BKU for lifting ban on wheat from UP, other states

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, April 26

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has demanded that the ban on the arrival of wheat from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan in the Haryana’s grain market should be lifted.

A delegation of the BKU, along with UP farmers, met Karnal Deputy Commissioner (DC) J Ganesan and Chief Minister’s OSD (camp office) Amarinder Singh yesterday, requesting them to address farmers’ concerns.

“Farmers have been facing difficulties due to unprecedented rain recently. In this situation, the government should have allowed farmers from neighbouring states to sell their produce in Haryana,” state BKU president Rattan Mann said, adding there should be no boundaries for farmers, as they produce for the entire country. “They should have the right to sell their produce anywhere in the county. Imposing restrictions on their movement will let the morale of farmers down.”

Farmers from Uttar Pradesh yesterday protested on the Haryana-UP border near Mangloura, demanding that the ban be lifted. They served a three-day ultimatum to the district administration and threatened to launch an agitation if they were not permitted to sell wheat in Haryana.

Karnal commission agents’ association, meanwhile, supported UP farmers and demanded lifting of the ban.

Rajneesh Chaudhary, president of the association, said: “Several farmers of Haryana own land in Uttar Pradesh. They have cultivated wheat there. Several farmers from UP have to pay debt to commission agents in Karnal, Kunjpura, Indri and Gharaunda grain markets.”

The government should lift the ban and allow farmers from UP to sell wheat in Haryana, he added.

Several commission agents led by former president of the association Vinod Goel met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at his camp office here today. “The government should remove the restriction on the movement of farmers from Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the government would accept the demand.