Farmers demand smooth lifting of paddy, DAP supply

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM-Non-Political) have vowed to escalate protests if the government fails to ensure the smooth lifting of the paddy crop and the uninterrupted supply of DAP fertiliser ahead of the wheat sowing season.

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Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader of the joint forum, expressed farmers’ concerns about the ongoing protests by rice millers, which threaten to disrupt paddy lifting in mandis. “If the rice millers’’ agitation continues, farmers may face significant hardship as no paddy will be lifted from the mandis,” Pandher warned.

He added that last year’s failure of several DAP fertiliser samples created problems for farmers during wheat sowing. “We demand the government ensures adequate availability of DAP and resolves the rice millers’ issues before the harvest season begins,” Pandher said.

Farmers plan to stage a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Amritsar and escalate their protest at the Shambhu border. They will also gather at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Pipli on September 22.

Regarding the government’s effort to engage through a committee, Pandher dismissed the initiative, calling it ineffective. The Supreme Court had directed a five-member committee, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Nawab Singh, to persuade farmers to clear the Shambhu border to ease commuter movement.

However, Pandher said the committee lacks the authority to address their key demand for minimum support price (MSP). “It’s a toothless committee with no legal power to recommend MSP,” he argued, stating that talks would only be meaningful if Union ministers were involved.

In a separate issue, Pandher urged Mandi MP Kangna Ranaut to advocate for Himachal Pradesh’s apple farmers, whose incomes have been hit by a 40% drop in prices. Farmers are asking the government to stabilise apple prices and curb apple imports from other countries.