Tardy lifting of paddy from mandis, protests made life difficult for farmers in district

This year will be remembered as the most difficult year for farmers. The year tested farmers’ patience making them vulnerable, angry and overwhelmed with anti-policies of the governments. It was for the first time that paddy for which farmers get guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) wasn’t lifted from mandis on time. Farmers alleged that they were forced to sell their produce below the MSP.

Such was the gravity of the situation that due to paucity of space in mandis, farmers were forced to store their produce near a pile of garbage at the Maqsuda Mandi in the district.

Paramjit Singh, a farmer from Chugitti village, shared the sorry state of affairs as labourers filled his paddy grains in bardanas (Jute bags) near the pile of garbage. He said. “There was not much space in the mandi here. That’s why I stored my paddy near the garbage pile”

During visits to mandis in the district, The Tribune correspondent found that farmers paddy grains were scattered near garbage piles for drying. Slow procurement and lifting resulted in a space crunch at mandis.

This situation has made farmers fearful of consequences they would face in selling their produce next year. They are now reluctant of sowing paddy.

A Shekein village farmer Amritpal Singh said he was worried about what would happen next year. “It was so painful this time. My paddy kept on lying in mandi for several days. This is the only crop which is sold on the MSP. But things have changed now.” Various farmers unions had also held protests at toll plazas and mandis to highlight their plight and difficulties they face in selling paddy.

Pending sugarcane payment arrears

Activists of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba) held a protest and threatened to intensify stir if payment of the arrears of sugarcane growers, amounting to Rs 27 crore, was not be released soon by the state government.

25K farmers not given benefit of scheme

At least 25,000 farmers did not receive instalments under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi because of the pending KYC and land seeding. In Jalandhar, there are over 50,000 beneficiaries under the scheme. The scheme was started in 2019 for marginal farmers. They receive Rs 6,000 in a year — Rs 2,000 after every four months under the scheme. Officials of the Agriculture Department said majority of farmers were asked to complete e-KYC and the remaining had to complete the process of land seeding. Presently, farmers are making rounds of the Agriculture Department to know about the credit status of their instalments.