Chandigarh, September 29
The second day of the paddy season today saw commission agents withdrawing their strike even as rice millers struck a strident note by announcing their resolve not to purchase or store any paddy this season.
Meanwhile, state agencies have procured 28,488 tonnes since yesterday. Some districts, including Ludhiana, are still to see much arrival.
Though the government has still to come out with a notification, commission agents have withdrawn their strike on the issue of direct payment to farmers through cheques.
The commission agents, who met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the issue two days ago, have agreed to make payments to farmers through cheques.
However, the agreement is vague on how the arhtiyas will recover loans given as advances to farmers. State Arhtiya Association Chairman Pandit Ram Swarup said commission agents would be within their rights to deduct money while handing over cheque to farmers.
“This is within the legal right of the arhtiyas”, Swarup added. Association president Ravinder Singh Cheema said only the final notification would reveal how commission agents would recover loans taken by farmers saying, “the issue of repayment will have to be settled”.
The commission agents were vigorously
opposing the issue of payment through cheques. Around 25 per cent of farmers take loans
up to 75 per cent to 100 per cent of their crop value and another 25 per cent more than their crop value. Commission agents have been deducting loans before handing farmers their crop value, but the system has resulted in a debt trap with many farmers made to purchase substandard pesticides and fertilisers from the same
arhtiyas.
Saini said unless the FCI relaxed specifications from the present three per cent to five per cent for damage content as well as a five per cent relaxation for discoloration, millers would not purchase any paddy. He also called for an end to arbitrary rejection of rice through repeated checks as well as establishment of a third laboratory to which tests could be referred in case of dispute.
Food and Civil Supplies Director DS Grewal said Ferozepur division was leading in paddy procurement with 20,000 tonnes of paddy being procured in the division since yesterday.
Grewal said the most paddy had been procured from Muktsar district with state agencies purchasing 9,000 tonnes from the district today.
(With inputs from Kanchan Vasdev and Charu Chhibber)
