Punjab farmers forced to sell paddy at prices lower than the support price

24-Oct-2024 02:53 PM

Jalandhar. Government agencies are buying paddy at a very slow pace and its lifting from mandis or marketing centers is also happening at a slow pace, due to which there is a huge shortage of space there.

As a result, farmers are forced to sell their paddy to traders in the open market at a price much below the government support price (MSP).

This time the minimum support price of paddy has been fixed at Rs 2300 and Rs 2320 per quintal, which is for general category and 'A' grade respectively, but in the open market, it is being asked to sell it at the rate of Rs 2050-2150 per quintal.

Farmers of Sultanpur Lodhi area have to sell their produce quickly so that they can help in starting the next crop and especially vegetable cultivation, so slow purchase at the government level is causing them a lot of loss. For the purchase of paddy, farmers are being given raw slips instead of 'J-Form' by the agencies.

Although the payment to the farmers is made in their bank accounts, a lot of work is done by the commission agents. If the farmers get extra payment, they return it to the commission agents in cash.

The current situation has never been seen before. It seems that the farmers want to get rid of their paddy stock somehow, although they have produced it with great care and hard work.

Rice millers and shellers are refusing to take government stock of paddy and it seems that government agencies are also showing less interest in buying paddy from farmers this time. This is giving private traders an opportunity to buy paddy from farmers at a lower price.