Bharatiya Kisan Union national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has accused middlemen and traders of exploiting farmers over the paddy procurement system in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. He said middlemen are buying paddy from farmers at ₹300 to ₹600 per quintal below the price and later selling it at higher rates to make a profit. Tikait has demanded that the central government provide a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP).
Questions raised over government procurement system
According to Tikait, farmers are facing difficulties in selling paddy at government procurement centres. Due to delays in the procurement process and other problems, farmers are being forced to sell their produce to private traders at lower prices. Middlemen are taking advantage of this, he said. He added that such a situation may continue until farmers have a legal guarantee of receiving a fair price for their crops.
Demand for MSP guarantee law
The farmer leader said the government should enact a law under which no trader can buy farmers’ crops below the fixed MSP. He said farmers prepare crops after months of hard work and investment, but at the time of sale they do not get a fair price.
In Pilibhit, farmers have previously raised complaints about the slow process at government centres and the active role of middlemen in paddy procurement. In this context, Tikait’s demand has once again brought the issue of fair prices for agricultural produce and transparency in the procurement system to the fore.
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