FCI ‘refuses’ to buy wheat variety, farmers gherao officials in Mansa

Tribune News Service

Mansa, April 17

Farmers under the banner of the BKU Ugrahan staged a protest and gheraoed FCI officials at Kot Dharmu village in Mansa after the latter allegedly declined to purchase HD-2967 wheat variety. They also raised slogans against the agency.

Talking to The Tribune, Malkit Singh, BKU Ugrahan block president, Jhunir, said, “Almost every village in the district has cultivated HD-2967 wheat variety due to its high yield, but FCI officials do not want to purchase it citing its colour. It does not make any sense, especially when the Central agency has been procuring the same during the previous seasons.”

“With FCI officials denying to purchase and the threat of rain looming large, farmers are a worried lot as heaps of their produce are lying in the open and there is no space for keeping their produce in most of the mandis of the district. We will intensify our protest and continue to do so till the FCI starts making purchases of the wheat variety,” he said.

Satya Prakash, mandi inspector, FCI, said, “The procurement has just started and it will take some time before things are streamlined. We cannot just start making procurement of this variety as we are not certain about it. There are stricter measures in place from the Centre this time and we have to follow a procedure to ensure that all quality parameters are being adhered to before we can make purchases.”