Kapurthala farmers protest procurement delay

Kapurthala, October 10

Farmers of the district lodged a protest outside the grain market on Monday over the alleged dilly-dallying by the procurement agencies over purchase of their paddy crop owing to excess moisture.

The farmers have blocked the Kapurthala-Sultanpur Lodhi road and have been raising slogans against the state government and AAP Kapurthala halqa incharge Manju Rana. The farmers have alleged that the paddy sowing was delayed on the government orders and hence the moisture content was coming higher than 17 per cent.

The protesting farmers said they had brought their produce to the grain market yesterday and till today the agencies were not ready to make any purchase. SP D Harinder Singh, DSP Maninder Pal SIngh and Naib Tehsildar Rajiv Khosla had tried to pacify the farmers, but to no avail.

Farmers said till the previous years, the produce with a higher moisture content also used to be lifted, though at little less price.