Commission agents, Cong leader in war of words

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 21

Farmers are facing problem in selling their paddy crop due to the high moisture content and the issue is also leading to incidents of tension between them and commission agents, rice-millers and officials of procurement agencies in the area.

Rice-millers and commission agents in Kotkapura on Sunday accused a Congress leader of making unreasonable comments.

The commission agents and rice-millers are furious after the Congress leader alleged that farmers were being forced to sell their high moisture paddy produce by offering deduction of 5 kg per quintal.

Accusing Dhanjit Virk, secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, of playing politics in the hour of crisis, commission agents and rice-millers alleged that for his narrow political gains, the Congress leader was inspecting the paddy brought in mandis and inciting the farmers for agitation against them.

Though there is no case in which a farmer was asked to sell his produce at reduced price or at a deduction of 5 kg per quintal for the reason of paddy having moisture content higher than the permissible limit of 17 per cent, after his visit to Kotkapura mandi, the Congress leader alleged that there was fleecing of the farmers in the name of high moisture content in paddy.

Threatening to start an agitation against the alleged fleecing of farmers, the Congress leader said there were many complaints of the farmers falling victim to the alleged nexus between the commission agents and rice-millers.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee alleged that rice-millers were bargaining for larger deductions citing high moisture content in the grain.

Refuting the allegations, the commission agents and rice millers in Kotkapura alleged that the Congress leader was making unsubstantiated and wild allegations for political gains.

These allegations are aimed at creating a rift between the farmers and commission agents, said Sohan Singh Bargari, president, Kotkapura Commission Agents’ Association.

While Virk alleged that the meter to evaluate moisture in the paddy were faulty and it was showing the moisture content at higher side to exploit the farmers, Udham Singh Aulakh, district president of the commission agents’ association said the moisture measuring meters were at the command of employees of the Market Committee and Procurement Agencies.

The farmers have to dry their crop to bring down the moisture content, he said.

However the Congress leader said on the pretext of high moisture content, the farmers were forced to sell his produce at the “mercy and will” of the commission agents and rice-millers. “I will raise the matter with the Chief Minister,” he said.