Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers protest wheat procurement process in Karnal as fresh standoff builds

Hundreds of farmers gathering at Haryana’s Karnal grain market since Friday are demanding unscheduled and immediate procurement of wheat in a fresh standoff with the government, following a protest call by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni), one of the bodies behind the five-month long farmers’ protest against the three central farm laws.In the fresh flashpoint, farmers alleged that most of them were not sent SMSs inviting them for procurement of wheat harvest, resulting in a costly delay. The BKU further accused the government of deliberately delaying procurement and demanded that all the wheat being brought to the Mandi was immediately procured irrespective of the SMS criteria.Last year, the government agencies had roped-in commission agents to schedule farmers’ visit to Mandi for procurement. However, this year, it was decided that farmers will be allowed to approach Mandi for procurement as per the schedule messaged to them.“The government wants to delay the procurement and that is why they did not send SMSs to the farmers registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Bayora (My crop, my detail) portal,” said Jadgip Singh Aulakh, a local BKU leader.He said that the government agencies were turning away farmers, who had lined-up with their produce, saying they did not have the SMS confirming an appointment for procurement at the Mandi.“Our crop was ready for harvest but we did not get any SMS to bring it to the Mandi yet. I brought wheat produce from three acre of land to the Karnal grain market but was not allowed to enter for hours,” alleged Bhupinder Singh, a farmer from Bijna village in the district. He added that he had registered for procurement of 450 quintals of wheat but did not get any SMS.The protesting farmers unloaded wheat outside the office of the Mandi secretary and said that they will stage a sit-in till procurement of their produce begins. “We cannot delay the harvesting of crops as farmers use the same set of harvesters and the government should procure all the wheat coming to the Mandis,” demanded Bhajan Singh, a farmer.The farmer union leaders are demanding that all the wheat arriving at the Mandi is procured at the minimum support price MSP of ₹1,975 per quintal.Karnal deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav called a meeting of procurement agencies and Mandi officials to break the deadlock. District officials said SMSs were being sent to farmers as harvesting was yet to pick pace and the moisture content in wheat was also high at the moment.Officials from Haryana food and civil supplies department said on condition of anonymity that the government may relax the criteria to allow 50% farmers to visit Mandi as per the schedule sent by SMS, while 30% will be called by the commissioner agents and the remaining 20% farmers would be allowed to walk in to Mandis with their produce. All the farmers must be registered on the Meri Fasal Mera Bayora portal and should procure an online gate pass on arrival at Mandi, they said.

Hindustan Times

03-04-2021

India