Sukhbir Badal: Capt Amarinder to blame for procurement mismanagement

Moga, April 22

Blaming Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for the mismanagement and chaos in mandis, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that farmers were being forced to camp at the procurement centres for days due to the state’s inability to arrange gunny bags.

Sukhbir visited the Goniana Mandi, Goniana Kalan, Maluka, Kotha Guru and Bhagta Bhaike mandis in Bathinda district and the Asia’s largest grain market in Moga and interacted with a cross section of farmers to know about their problems.

He directed the SAD leaders to fan out at the procurement centres and assist the farmers to get their crop purchased at the earliest. He announced that the party would hold symbolic district-level dharnas across the state on April 24 in front of the offices of the DCs to submit a memorandum, demanding to solve the problems being faced by farmers in the grain markets.

“Around 45 lakh metric tonne of wheat is lying in the open in mandis due to the lack of gunny bags. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has also gone into hiding as he can’t face the farmers after failing to issue timely tenders for the gunny bags.” Sukhbir said farmers and arhtiyas told him that they were now being asked to arrange the gunny bags on their own. — TNS