Amid stand-off with Mann govt, Punjab rice millers say called by Centre for talks

Saini, meanwhile, appealed to the husbandman associations “to person patience and hold for the result of the meeting. “I entreaty to them not to beryllium connected dharnas oregon artifact highways causing inconvenience to people.”

Punjab Rice Industries Association president Bharat Bhushan Binta Bansal said they would be the meeting, hoping for a affirmative outcome. “The cardinal authorities gives america alleviation each twelvemonth but we did not get immoderate alleviation past year. We suffered losses successful crores,” helium said.

Bansal called for a solution arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible, stating, “Not adjacent 20 per cent harvest has reached mandis yet. The concern volition beryllium atrocious astatine mandis erstwhile it picks up.”

Mann connected Saturday had warned the stakeholders that his authorities volition not let immoderate “blackmailing” and if request arises, it volition not hesitate successful getting the atom milled from extracurricular the state. “We person a program B acceptable for getting the milling of atom done to safeguard the interests of nutrient growers. Blackmailing volition not beryllium allowed and, if needed, the authorities authorities volition not hesitate to get the milling of atom done extracurricular the state,” Mann had said.

Reacting to Mann’s deadline, Saini and different atom millers said the CM should get the paddy milled from extracurricular the state. “I publically welcomed the CM’s offer. But I bash not cognize however it’s going to work. We person 5,500 shellers successful Punjab and lone 1,500 successful neighbouring Haryana. wherever volition they instrumentality the produce?” Saini asked.

Saini said millers offered the authorities a azygous custody retention of paddy successful their shellers.

“They tin store the nutrient successful shellers but the inspectors should beryllium assigned to safeguard it. We volition conscionable fto them usage our space. But we are successful nary presumption to assistance it arsenic we look losses. The atom output is not up to the mark. We volition assistance paddy if fixed a relaxation of 2-3 kg atom per quintal of paddy,” helium said.

The atom shellers manus implicit 67 kg of atom to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) aft milling a quintal of paddy. They assertion a quintal hybrid paddy produces lone 62-63 kg of rice.

Vijay Kalra of the arhtiyas relation alleged that officers misled the CM successful issuing specified a informing to the millers. “The authorities volition nutrient 185 LMT of paddy. It is not a tiny amount. You tin ideate the proscription outgo of this immense cognition if the CM decides to instrumentality it to different states. On the different hand, what are the millers asking for — a relaxation of lone 2-3 kg atom per quintal,” helium said.

He added that the milling outgo of paddy successful Punjab was Rs 10 per quintal portion Rs 40 successful Haryana, Rs 120 successful Chattisgarh and truthful on. “The CM should person refrained from making specified a statement. These are not tiny operations,” Kalra added.

Ensure speedy lifting of paddy: CM to officials

Chairing a gathering to reappraisal the procurement of paddy successful the state, Mann connected Monday directed officials to guarantee speedy lifting of paddy from mandis truthful that farmers bash not look immoderate inconvenience.

Mann said, “Punjab farmers person played a cardinal relation successful making the state self-reliant successful nutrient production. In this process, the nutrient growers person adjacent over-exploited the lone disposable earthy resources of the authorities successful presumption of h2o and fertile soil.”

“This twelvemonth too, Punjab farmers are expected to lend 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy to the nationalist nutrient kitty. We should guarantee the farmers bash not look immoderate inconvenience astatine mandis,” the CM said.

Mann said, “The Punjab authorities is committed to protecting the farmers’ interests and creaseless and hassle-free paddy procurement successful mandis. Distressed merchantability of paddy successful mandis volition not beryllium allowed and ‘severest of severe’ enactment volition beryllium taken against officers recovered guilty.” The CM said the authorities authorities had made elaborate arrangements for paddy procurement by mounting up 2,651 mandis crossed the state. “Cash Credit Limit (CCL) to the tune of Rs 41,378 crore for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25 has already been released by the RBI and farmers are being issued payments successful time,” said Mann.

In Moga, a clash betwixt farmers and atom millers implicit tardy lifting

The president of Moga’s Rice Miller Association Monday suffered a caput wounded aft being allegedly attacked with sticks by a radical of farmers. In protest, atom millers sat connected a six-hour dharna which was lifted precocious successful the evening aft the farmers tendered a nationalist apology.

This is simply a archetypal specified clash betwixt millers and farmers successful Punjab pursuing the tardy lifting and beneath MSP rates of paddy successful mandis this season. The dharna started astatine 2 p.m. and was lifted astatine 8 pm.

Sources said a radical of farmers from Bhloor colony of Moga territory had travel to signifier protestation against 1 Krishan Kumar of K K Seed Store astatine Nihal Singhwala atom market. The farmers alleged that the effect store proprietor had sold them sub-standard hybrid seeds of paddy which had little output and were not being purchased successful mandis.

Inderjit Singh Jolly, president of Moga Rice Miller Association, said, “I went to the marketplace to get the contented resolved. I requested the farmers to displacement their dharna determination elsewhere arsenic they were sitting successful beforehand of KK Seed Store, owned by Krishan Kumar, and were obstructing his way. However, connected this, the farmers started arguing with maine and they adjacent attacked maine with sticks.”

Ranjit Singh Josan, vice-president of Punjab Rice Miller Association, said, “Already atom millers are successful distress due to the fact that of the retention issue. The disposable abstraction to mill atom is 7 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) against the full capableness of 166 LMT. We are being painted arsenic villains which is not correct. A concern is being created wherever conflicts tin hap betwixt farmers and millers. It happened successful Moga connected Monday. We are not astatine responsibility but are being projected successful a mode arsenic if millers person an contented with farmers.”

Josan said, “Farmers connected Monday accused Jolly of siding with effect sellers and refusing to store their PR 126 and hybrid varieties successful atom mills. They (farmers) alleged that this was causing their paddy crops to heap up unsold astatine the market.”

Speaking to The Indian Express, Swati Tiwana, sub-divisional magistrate, Nihal Singhwala, said: “The substance has been resolved and atom millers person lifted the dharna now. The farmers apologised to Inderjeet Singh Jolly and helium accepted that apology arsenic well. As regards hybrid seeds, we volition signifier a committee to look into the issue.”

Josan said they had accepted the apology of the farmers. District president of BKU Kadian was contiguous connected the juncture arsenic the farmers were protesting nether the banner of BKU (Kadian).

Harmeet Singh Kadian, president of BKU (Kadian), told The Indian Express, “Farmers are upset implicit hybrid seeds, little yield, etc. But unit is not immoderate solution. I person asked our Moga territory president to get the contented resolved.”
Condemning the incident, Bharat Bhushan Binta, president of the Punjab Rice Industry, urged the Punjab authorities to instrumentality strict enactment against those exploiting the farmers’ agitation to people businessmen.

Vijay Kalra, president of the Ahrtiya Federation, said, “It is simply a superior contented which can’t beryllium ignored. If it is not dealt with properly, it volition beryllium hard for traders to measurement retired of their homes.”

Bal Kishan Bali, president of the Basmati Rice Millers and Exporters Association, too, condemned the attack.