At least 22 farm unions in Punjab on Thursday launched an agitation against the state government against the new procurement policies for procuring moong and maize crops in mandis.
Farm unions, who have been protesting at 70 places in 23 districts of Punjab, have claimed that the government was asking the government to submit copies of farad (land records) with the procurement agency before procuring moong and maize crops. He has also said that the government had fixed a procurement quota of 5 quintals per acre for procurement, while he wanted every grain of agriculture to be procured. During the sit-in demonstration on Thursday, the farmers also demanded smooth purchase of both the crops. MSP and submitted memoranda to their respective sub-divisional magistrates, addressed to the Chief Minister of Punjab.
“Against the claims of the Punjab government, the moong and maize crops are being sold by farmers at rates below the MSP after the state imposed undue restrictions. CM himself needs to visit the mandis to see the situation. He has not visited the mandis even once to see the procurement of moong and maize,” said Kanwaljit Khanna of BKU-Dakonda, potting in the jagraons. He said that Jagraon is considered to be the biggest mandi of Punjab in terms of arrival of moong, whose MSP was fixed at Rs 7225 per quintal.
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Khanna said, “The government is buying only limited stock of moong at the rate of Rs 7225 per quintal, that too after the crop passes all the tests prescribed by the procurement agency. Private players in the mandis are buying Rs 5,500 to Rs 6,500 per quintal. They are buying moong at a rate which is less than the MSP. If they import moong from other countries, do they check the records of the land on which it was grown? They ask us to get the land mapping done by the patwari. And asking to submit the copy of our land records. At the time of announcement of MSP on Moong, the state government did not mention that the purchase of teh crop would be five quintals per acre.
Gurmeet Singh Mehma, a union leader from Ferozepur said, “Small farmers cannot deposit their stock in the mandis once. Hence, they are being exploited by private players. Further, as and when Markfed rejects the stock of farmers, they have no option but to sell it through private players. ,