Farmers worried over non-lifting of paddy in Jalandhar mandis

Earlier, it took days for the procurement process to start and now the procurement has initiated, lifting of the yield has not started yet in Nawanshahr and Jalandhar. Out of 79 mandis in Jalandhar, paddy lifting started at only one mandi in Kartarpur here on Friday.

When the Jalandhar Tribune team visited the Banga mandi recently, there was a huge rush of farmers and labourers were cleaning and putting paddy into sacks.

Dilbagh Singh, a farmer of Chak Kalal village, said he had harvested paddy on two acres and had yet to reap the harvest on his field. “Procurement is being done. Things are smooth with regard to the procurement, but farmers are facing the problem of non-lifting of produce,” he said.

Expressing fear, Satnam Singh and Mahendra Singh, farmers from Naura village, said, “The lifting has not started yet. We fear that the purchase will stop,” said Satnam.

There are as many as 30 villages in Nawanshahr district and 79 in Jalandhar. Farmers are coming with their produce, but only purchase is being done.

In Jalandhar, 8,026 MT of paddy arrived today. Until now, 26,846 MT paddy arrival has been recorded while 20, 02 MT of the produce has been procured. Even after the purchase, the crop is lying at the mandis. This has left the farmers worried.

Kashmiri Lal, president, Arhtiya Association, said as there is no space in the shellers, no lifting is being done. “But we are hopeful that the lifting will start from tomorrow,” he said.

District Food and Civil Supplies Controller (DFSC) Narinder Singh said the millers have some genuine demands and meetings are being done in this regard. “We are trying our level best to start lifting keeping in view the interests of the millers,” he added.

The Jalandhar district administration, led by Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, on Friday assured farmers of a smooth and hassle-free lifting during the ongoing procurement season in the district mandis. Following the administration’s proactive efforts, farmers lifted their protest from the Jalandhar-Moga National Highway. On Dr Himanshu Aggarwal’s directive, a team comprising SDM-1 Randeep Singh Heer, DFSC Narinder Singh and other officials met with the protesting farmers. The team assured the farmers that the entire paddy procurement process would be carried out in line with the government-specified guidelines and they would face no issues in selling their yield.

Officials informed the farmers that all necessary arrangements had been made in the mandis and the lifting process would be conducted efficiently. They further said that there is no shortage of Bardana (gunny bags) or any other facilities required to assist farmers during the operation.