Follow Us
Tribune News Service
Ambala, September 8
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has demanded that the payment for the upcoming paddy crop be transferred directly to the bank accounts of farmers. It has threatened that if commission agents go on a strike against the implementation of the direct payment scheme, farmers will also give a strike call in support of the scheme.
The union leaders held a meeting with Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar a couple of days ago in Chandigarh and raised several issues regarding the upcoming paddy season. They demanded early purchase of paddy, more moisture meters, and direct payment to farmers for paddy.
BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni told The Tribune on Saturday that, “We are in the favour of direct payment to farmers and the minister has said that he is also in its favour. He has asked the union to make efforts in this regard as commission agents strike work and then the government is forced to withdraw the decision”.
“Some rice millers in collusion with arhtiyas were buying rice from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and fraudulently showing these as purchases from Haryana. It is only benefiting the rice sheller owners. Commission agents should not oppose the direct payment system. We are not against commission agents but we want that the payment must be transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts. If the commission agents go on strike, farmers will also give a strike call,” he added.
Charuni said, “Commission agents are afraid that they may lose money that they have lent to farmers. They will appeal to farmers to repay money taken from the commission agents”.
About the demand for early purchase, he said, “The minister has said that since the arrivals remain very low around September 15, procurement can’t be started. However, he asked us to keep a check and inform if there are heavy arrivals, the government may take a decision in this regard”.
1
2
5