Paddy lifting issue a plot to destabilise farmers: SAD (B)

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today held a protest against the problems being faced by farmers in the procurement of paddy in mandis. The protest was led by Ranjit Singh Khurana, the party’s urban constituency in-charge of Phagwara, and Rajinder Singh Chandi, rural constituency in-charge. The protest was held outside the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Phagwara for two hours, from 11 am to 1 pm. Senior Akali leader Jarnail Singh Wahad was also present at the spot.

The protesters presented a memorandum, addressed to the Governor of Punjab, to the SDM Phagwara, Jashanjit Singh. Addressing the gathering, Khurana, Chandi and other speakers accused the Centre and AAP government of a deliberate conspiracy to destabilise the state’s paddy procurement process. They alleged that the delay and inefficiencies in procurement were part of a systematic plan to financially cripple Punjab’s farmers as a form of retribution for the recent farmers’ movement.

According to the Akali leaders, farmers are forced to wait up to 18-20 days in the mandis, or wholesale markets, for the sale of their harvest. Due to price cuts, farmers are being forced to sell their produce below the MSP and uncollected paddy bags have been piling up in the open fields, exposed to adverse weather due to lack of adequate shelter. Farmers are left with no choice but to store their paddy on tractor-trolleys at their homes and in mandis.

The SAD (B) leaders criticised the administration, saying the government has neglected the grievances of arhtiyas (commission agents) and labourers, compounding the problem. The Centre’s refusal to relax moisture and broken grain criteria has slowed down the purchase process, leaving millions of metric tonnes of paddy uncollected and vulnerable to spoilage due to rainfall.

The Akali leaders stated that Punjab has received only 2.76 lakh metric tonnes of the required 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser, resulting in a 58 per cent shortfall. This shortage threatens to delay wheat sowing and could impact yields across the state.

The leaders declared that the Shiromani Akali Dal will intensify its protests if immediate steps are not taken to resolve these issues.