Stop paddy, rice-laden trucks coming from UP to state: Gurnam Charuni to farmers

Accusing rice millers of purchasing paddy and rice at cheaper rates from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and stocking in their mills to adjust against proxy procurement, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has called upon farmers to stop paddy and rice-laden trucks entering Haryana from the bordering state. The BKU (Charuni) spokesman, Rakesh Bains, said, “Paddy and rice from other states are purchased at cheaper rates and then adjusted against proxy procurement with the help of bogus registrations on Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal and generating gate passes of the stock. The government is not taking adequate steps. A large number of trucks from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are reaching Haryana daily. Farmers have started catching these trucks and handing over these vehicles to the administration for action.”

Union chief Gurnam Singh Charuni said, “We have been receiving complaints that hundreds of trucks laden with rice and paddy are entering Haryana daily from Uttar Pradesh. Due to the influx, paddy farmers from Haryana are suffering losses. We have repeatedly requested the government to stop arrivals of cheaper rice and paddy from Uttar Pradesh, but no action is being taken in this connection. Poor quality rice is provided to the government by millers after processing, causing losses to the state exchequer.”

“We demand that the entire stock from Haryana farmers is purchased at the MSP first, and then millers should be allowed to purchase rice and paddy from other states for their business purposes. We also demand that physical verification of all rice mills should be conducted at the earliest and members of the farmer unions should be included in teams for verification. If irregularity and difference in stock position is found, action should be taken against rice millers, and FIR should also be registered against officials of the government procurement agencies”, he said.

The union has asked its members to check trucks arriving from Uttar Pradesh and puncture their tyres if these vehicles are caught taking rice and paddy to rice mills in Haryana.

“Farmers will stop trucks from Uttar Pradesh in Haryana and check paddy and rice stocks. If the arrivals of paddy and rice in not stopped, the union will be forced to take stern action,” Charuni said.

Meanwhile, Jewel Singla, chairman, Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association, said, “Besides, processing paddy under the CMR (custom milled rice) scheme for the government, millers also process paddy for domestic and international markets. A huge quantity of rice is sold in local markets and also sent to Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and other states for which basmati and other varieties are purchased from Uttar Pradesh.”

“Farmers shouldn’t have any objection with the purchase of paddy and rice arriving from other states. We have no objection with physical verification of rice mills conducted by the government. Action should also be taken if any irregularity is observed,” he added.

Caption: Duty magistrate and police personnel check arrival of paddy and PDS rice from UP, Bihar and other states at Manglora check post. File photo