Arhtiyas on strike, no paddy procurement on Day 1

Paddy procurement could not take off on Tuesday as the commission agents and labourers went on a strike demanding an increase in their commission and labour charges. Government reports, however, suggested that procurement commenced at mandis in rural areas.

A meeting between Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak and leaders of the Federation of Arhtiya Association and Anaz Mandi Mazdoor Union at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh remained inconclusive.

A visit to the Bhagtanwali Mandi revealed that the arrival of paddy was very slow and the labourers were sitting idle.

Rakesh Tuli of the Mazdoor Union said the strike would continue till their demands were met by the government. He said CM Bhagwant Mann was at his residence, but he did not meet them. Accompanied by secretary-level officials from the Punjab Mandi Board and Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Departments, Kataruchak did not commit anything in favour of the commission agents or labourers.

Tuli said charges for labourers, who carry out six tasks, including unloading of grain, cleaning it, weighing, stitching of bags, filling grains in bags, loading these on trucks and tractor-trailers, were increased by 25 per cent in 2011 by the state government. “At present, they are getting Rs 16.05 per 35-kg bag, while Haryana is offering Rs 1.30 per bag more. In both states, the buyer is the FCI. After 13 years, they are expecting at least 25 per cent rise in their labour charges, but the government is not paying heed to their demand,” he added.

There are 1,836 mandis in Punjab in which over 50,000 commission agents and 10 lakh labourers are engaged in the seasonal profession.

Commission agents, whose representatives also participated in the meeting, said about three years ago, the government froze the commission rate at Rs 45.88 per quintal. As per this rate, their commission per quintal wheat and paddy is around 2 per cent of the produce rate. It meant their commission, which was fixed at 2.5 per cent in 1997, has now diminished by 0.5 per cent. Instead of an increase in income, their wages have decreased after about 27 years.

Farmer leader Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala said the Samyukat Kisan Morcha, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha and several other organisations had extended support to the strike.

Meanwhile, a press note issued by the Public Relations Department said the government purchase of paddy began in Amritsar district on Tuesday. DFSC Sartaj Singh said Baba Bakala Sahib SDM Amanpreet Singh initiated government purchase and interacted with farmers to understand their issues. PUNGRAIN procured around 50 tonne paddy in Raya and Butala.

Patiala: Protest by arhtiyas and rice millers marred the paddy procurement in Patiala too. Vijay Kalra, president of the Federation of Arhtiya Association, said, “The arhtiyas must receive 2.5 per cent commission on crop procurement, but the government appears reluctant to ensure that.”

Tarsem Lal Saini, president of the Punjabi Rice Miller Association, said a joint meeting of the sheller owners from both Punjab and Haryana would be held in Patiala on October 2 to discuss the future course of action.

He confirmed that over 5,600 rice mills in the state had refused to stock rice, citing substantial financial losses.

Jalandhar: Low arrival of paddy was witnessed at various mandis in Jalandhar district on Tuesday. The arrival was almost nil in Jalandhar city’s main grain market and the hustle bustle of the farmers was also missing.

Officials from the mandi board said the actual arrival would start from October 8-9. The announcement of strike by arhtiyas and labourers was the main reason behind low arrival on Tuesday. As per official record, only 1,147 tonne paddy arrived in 12 markets of the district including Jalandhar City, Bilga, Shahkot, Phillaur, Nurmehal, Nakodar, Lohian Khas, Jalandhar Cantonment, Goraya, Bhogpur and Adampur. However, no procurement of paddy was recorded.

Sangrur: The procurement of paddy was hit due to the strike by arhtiyas and labourers on Day 1. The situation is not likely to improve for many days to come. The rice millers have also announced that they would not mill paddy on behalf of the government until their demand of lifting the already stored rice from the FCI godowns was met.

The arhtiyas and labourers gathered at the local grain market and staged a dharna in support of their demands. They also submitted a memorandum of demands to the District Mandi Officer.

Faridkot: There was no purchase of paddy due to the strike of commission agents, labourers and sheller owners on Tuesday. However, the farmers brought over 450 quintal paddy and 4,000 quintal basmati to the local grain market.