Farmers Movement Archive

Wheat procurement, lifting come to a halt as five test positive

Wheat procurement and lifting on Tuesday came to a halt at the grain market of Sursing village in Tarn Taran, causing mental harassment and a huge financial loss to farmers. As five residents of Sursing village were found positive for Covid-19 on Monday, the administration sealed the village forcing residents to confine themselves to the four walls of their houses. The farmers who had been coming to the market for the last three days for their wheat to be procured by agencies were left with no option but to remain in the market day and night with no facility as they have been banned from moving anywhere. Jasbir Singh, a resident of the village and senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, said thousand quintals of wheat was lying in the open and there was no hope that the stock would be procured soon. He said the farmers had to left on an empty stomach on Monday night. Farmers of nearby Chichhrewal and Dhunn villages too came to the market to sell their produce in the Sursing market. The village, which has a population of more than 10,000, had been converted into a police cantonment. Varinder Kumar, mandi supervisor, confirmed that there was more than 8,000 quintals of wheat to be procured and over 30,000 quintals of procured wheat stock, which is lying in the open, was yet to be lifted. He said the administration was thinking to shift the market to the outskirts of the village stadium so that farmers could come to the market without any hassle. — OC

The Tribune

2020-04-29