‘No MSP on paddy & millet, farmers, labourers & commission agents worried’

Chandigarh: Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that paddy and millet farmers are being cheated in the mandis as they are forced to sell crops at rates lower than MSP.

He said farmers are facing losses of Rs 300-400 per quintal on paddy and Rs 500-600 per quintal on millet and markets are filled with crops and there are long queues. He said Congress had repeatedly demanded the government to start procurement soon.

Despite this, the government started the procurement late by 15 days. As usual, as soon as the procurement started, the portal stopped working, due to which

the problems of the farmers increased further.Addressing the press conference, he

said he had gone to the markets of Panipat, Karnal, Gharaunda and Pipli. Farmers, labourers and commission agents present in the market said everyone is troubled by portals like ‘Meri Fasal, Mera Byora’ run by the BJP-JJP government.

‘During the Congress tenure, crop were sold as soon as they reached the market.

Now even after waiting for several days, their turn does not come,’ he said. ‘Farmers got the benefit of early procurement by the Congress government. Due to this, even private agencies had to purchase at rates higher than the MSP, and the crop rates increased in the market. But the present government deliberately delays the procurement to benefit private agencies. Even after so many days of the procurement season, neither procurement nor payment is being done smoothly,’ he added.