Farmers Movement Archive

BKU Charuni threatens stir if paddy procurement doesn’t start today

KUKUKSHETRA: Reacting to the Government of India’s orders on Thursday to Haryana and Punjab to postpone paddy procurement by 10 days, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Charuni) threatened to launch an agitation if the procedure was not started by October 1. "If procurement is not started in Haryana by October 1, then the residences of all BJP and JJP MLAs and MPs will be gheraoed by paddy-laden tractor and trolleys on Saturday," BKU (Charuni) national president Gurnam Singh Charuni warned the Haryana government. He added in Haryana, they had urged the government to start paddy procurement from September 25 if not by September 15. "But the government procurement starts from October 1. When the norms were made for starting procurement from October 1, paddy seeds took longer time to get ready than now, with a crop cycle of 100 to 120 days. But now most of the farmers are cultivating hybrid seeds, which are reaped in 80 to 90 days,” said Charuni, adding that the paddy crop is fully ready and has started to arrive at the grain markets in large quantities. "By issuing the instructions to delay the paddy procurement, the government is trying to evade the MSP (minimum support price). The rulers are not aware of the ground situation,” said the BKU Charuni in a press statement on Thursday. BKU Charuni spokesman Rakesh Kumar Bains said the government should immediately start the paddy procurement from October 1 and provide relief to the farmers. “Otherwise, BKU Charuni will be forced to take a strict decision and the government will be responsible for the same," he said. Bains added the government claims to be farmer-friendly and Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala was talking about starting the purchase of paddy from September 25, but today it has been delayed by 10 more days, while the paddy has been coming to the markets for sale for the last 10 days. “Haryana dy CM Dushyant, who also holds the state ministry of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, should immediately resign from his post,” Bains said. BKU Charuni added that the ruling government is not aware of the ground situation and anti-farmer new decisions are issued from their air-conditioned rooms. Haryana farmers’ union said that they have already dropped their paddy at the grain markets, which is now lying in the open, fearing loss due to unexpected weather. For the said postponement of paddy procurement, the government referred to a Food Corporation of India (FCI) letter dated September 30, 2021, that due to recent heavy downpour in the states of Punjab and Haryana, the maturity of paddy has been delayed and the moisture content in the fresh arrival at present is beyond permissible limit. On the other side, BKU Charuni said that the paddy is fully ready and that harvesting has also started. "Now the farmers are in a position that they cannot even leave their crop in their fields or drop them at the grain markets because there is no space for more crop as it is not being lifted due to non-procurement. The arrangements at the grain markets are improper and recent rain has exposed the government as the farmers' paddy was washed with rainwater,” said BKU Charuni.

The Times of India

2021-10-01

India