Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers threaten to block highway if supply of fertilizers not streamlined

Mandi Ahmedgarh/Payal, December 22Farmers protesting for regular supply of urea and other fertilisers at cooperative societies have threatened to block highways in case administration fails to do the needful in the matter. They have also sought action against those private dealers, who had been exploiting helplessness of farmers by forcing them to buy unnecessary products, at exorbitant prices while selling urea.Assuring farmers of regularising supplies soon, senior functionaries in the Cooperative Department informed that there was shortage fertilisers due to low supply by MARKFED.Protesters led by the Ludhiana district president, Bhartia Kisan Union (Kadian), Hardeep Singh Giaspura, and the All India Kisan Sabha leader, Baldev Singh Latala, alleged that farmers cultivating wheat and potato were suffering due to acute shortage of sowing season inputs, including urea and fertilisers. They alleged that the Punjab Government was not concerned about genuine needs of farmers.The protesters said senior functionaries in the government, including Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and other ministers, were hand in glove with manufacturing companies, which were all out to exploit helplessness of farmers.“We fail to understand how manufacturers are supplying all fertilisers, along with unnecessary products, to private dealers, but not to the Cooperative Department,” Giaspura said while alleging that manufacturers were forcing private dealers to sell unnecessary products at exorbitant prices, along with urea bags.A blockade on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway was lifted temporarily after being assured by the authorities concerned about regular supply of fertilisers within a couple of days, he added.“But, nothing concrete has yet been done to replenish urea at godowns of cooperative societies in the region. Now, we will wait for two days and start blocking highways at various places from Friday onwards,” he said.Meanwhile, Prabhjit Kaur Dhillon and Dara Singh, senior functionaries of the Cooperative Department and the Punjab Agriculture Department, respectively, claimed that sincere efforts were being made to requisition enough supplies from MARKFED. The situation will normalise soon, they added.

The Tribune

2021-12-24