Farmers lock Kalanwali grain market

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, October 30

Farmers today locked the main gates of the grain market in Kalanwali town of Sirsa alleging they were being fleeced by rice millers in connivance with officials of government procurement agencies and the market committee.

No procurement could be held today as farmers did not allow vehicles to enter in or come out of the grain market in protest.

“A cartel of millers and officials of the procurement agencies, market committee and the Food and Supplies Department is working in the grain market. Millers go to any heap of paddy and offer rates ranging between Rs 1,100 to 1,400 per quintal at their whim without any open auction. After buying crop, they enter in the records of the procurement agencies and get MSP of Rs 1,450 per quintal from the government. Not only this, millers deduct 3 kg from each quintal,” said Jagsir Singh, a grain market trader and a former president of the Kalanwali Municipal Committee.

He threatened the arhtiyas would force complete shutdown and hold a dharna from Monday if the fleecing of farmers did not stop.

Baldev Singh, a farmer, alleged he brought his paddy to the mandi on Tuesday, but it had not been purchased so far. “Yesterday, millers came with some officials of the procurement agencies and offered Rs 1,350 per quintal for my crop. When I insisted on the open auction for procurement, they went to the next heap. No agency has come to purchase my crop after that,” alleged Satnam Singh, a farmer from Kalanwali. Farmers Mandeep Singh Raju, Gurdas Singh and Lakranwali alleged they had complained to the authorities several times but to no avail.