Centre wants to do away with procurement in Punjab: Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM-non-political) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has claimed that the reason for tardy procurement across the state is that the Centre wants to do away with procurement in Punjab and MSP on paddy and wheat.

Farmer groups under the aegis of SKM (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have been protesting at Shambhu and Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when they were stopped from marching to Delhi.

Pandher said both the state and Central governments should fast-track procurement, otherwise the farmers would be left with no option but to protest.

The two days sought by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to take care of the crisis had elapsed.

"We have been saying for long that the Central government is trying to privatise mandis and end procurement. This will result in a fall in agricultural land prices, and ultimately, big corporate houses will usurp the land of small farmers. These procurement hurdles are being deliberately created,” he claimed.

“If the state government will not streamline procurement, we will be left with no option but to block roads and the highway. The state government will be responsible for it. Any use of force on peacefully protesting farmers will lead to a serious backlash," he stated.