Farmers protest shortage of DAP, tardy procurement

Farmers held protests at various places in the district accusing the government of failing to make proper arrangements for the procurement of paddy and shortage of DAP required for sowing of wheat.

The protests were held at Putlighar, Kukrawala, the Verka railway crossing and other places. Farmer leaders associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha complained that rice milled during the last season is still lying in the shellers and as such there is no space for storing fresh stock.

Farmer leader Rattan Singh Randhawa of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, while leading the protest at Putlighar, said, “The Central Government has once again taken a stand which is against the interests of the agrarian community.” He said the Central Government should have shifted the rice stored in the mills to make space for new produce.

Randhawa said farmers are also being paid less than the minimum support price announced by the government on one pretext or other. He added that state government too has failed to make arrangements of DAP for sowing of wheat.

“Sowing of wheat is going to start within a week and farmers are not able to get the fertiliser,” said Jatinder Singh Chinna of the Kirti Kisan Union during the protest at Kukrawala. He said the state government had also failed to take up the issue of rice stocks lying at mills of the Central Government. Chinna said SKM would be forced to announce a bigger action if the government failed to sort out the issues associated with procurement of paddy.

Farmer leaders also highlighted the issue of low prices of basmati. Parminder Singh of the BKU Ekta Ugraha during the protest at the Verka railway crossing said, “First the farmers have to fight to get fertilizers to sow their crops and then when the crop is ready they again have to fight to sell it.” He said providing sufficient fertilizers and procurement are responsibility of the government which it has failed to fulfil.