Won’t purchase wheat, warn arhtiyas

Tribune News Service

Baghapurana (Moga), April 5

Up in arms against the Centre over the direct payment to farmers on purchase of foodgrain, arhtiyas in association with the farmer unions have decided to intensify their stir against the three farm laws.

Addressing the “mandi bachao mahasammelan” in Moga on Monday, arhtiyas’ association state president Vijay Kalra declared that the arhtiyas in Punjab would completely boycott the markets from April 10, if the balance of Rs 131 crore was not paid to them by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). “We won’t lift the wheat from the markets until the balance payment is cleared,” he said.

Labourers will lose jobs, govt revenue

There are four lakh laboures in the mandis. They will lose their jobs. The state government will lose mandi fee and rural development funds. It will impact the development in the rural areas. —Balbir Singh Rajewal , BKU (Rajewal) President

Keeping in view the agitation mood of farmers and arhtiyas, the Punjab Government has already deferred the wheat procurement from April 1 to April 10. A total of 130-lakh tonnes of wheat is expected to arrive in mandis, which is purchased at the minimum support price (MSP). The entire procurement is done through arhtiyas and in return they get 2.5 per cent commission.

Arhtiyas stand to lose a foothold as earlier farmers got money from them after deduction of loan amount. Arhtiyas feel if farmers get money directly into their accounts, they will have to visit them to get back the loan.

Lashing out at the FCI’s directive to farmers giving details of their land, Kalra urged peasants not to give jambandi (land registry) to any food procurement agency.

Association vice-president Amarjit Singh said it was practically impossible for the farmers to provide land records because nearly 50 per cent of them do contract farming on land owned by NRIs settled abroad. “The problem is that the online payment will go into the accounts of the original land holders and not the farmers,” he said.

Ruldu Singh Mansa state president of Punjab Kisan Union said that the bond between arhtiyas and the farmers was very strong. “The social and economic relationship between them is the basis of the very existence of the poor and marginal farmers; therefore, we cannot afford to lose it at any cost,” he said. Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, president, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha; Paramjeet Kaur, leader, Mazdoor Mukti Morcha; Gurnam Singh Chaduni, president of BKU (Haryana); and Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, president, Kirti Kisan Union among others supported the arhtiyas' demand.