Farmers to protest outside Punjab CM's house on October 18

The SKM on Monday said farmers along with arhtiyas (commission agents) and rice millers would hold a dharna outside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence here on October 18 to protest against the "tardy" paddy procurement in Punjab.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), rice millers and arhtiyas here.

"There is a glut of paddy crop in Punjab. Farmers are facing huge losses," farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told reporters here.

"Paddy procurement, which should have started by October 1, has not commenced yet. Farmers are facing hardships in mandis," he said, blaming the AAP government in Punjab and the central government for the delay.

"On October 18, around 1,000 farmers, arhtiyas, labourers and rice millers from Punjab will hold a dharna outside the residence of the CM," said Rajewal.

He said farmers would gherao and show black flags to AAP MLAs and ministers whenever they visited grain markets.

Arhtiyas would put up black flags in all grain markets, he added.

On Sunday, the SKM held a three-hour road blockade in Punjab against alleged slow paddy procurement.

Rice millers and arhtiyas are also supporting the farmers' protest.

While arhtiyas are demanding a raise in their commission, rice millers have raised the issue of space crunch for storing the fresh paddy crop.

Rice millers have also expressed concern over the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) of the PR-126 paddy variety, claiming that it will lead to huge losses to them.