Punjab farmers joined together to protest against the low prices of maize and moong crops in mandis. The farmers, under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), complained that private traders were giving them less than the minimum support prices (MSP) for their crops. The farmer leaders met with Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and urged him to ensure better prices for their crops. According to the farmers, they are facing losses of up to Rs 2,000 per quintal in maize and moong crops. Bhartiya Kisan Union general secretary Harinder Singh alleged that maize and moong farmers were being looted in mandis. Against the MSP of Rs 2,090 per quintal, farmers are getting just Rs 1,400-1,500 per quintal in the market. Lahowal demanded that the government enter the mandis through its agency for the purchase of crops. In the case of moong crops, farmers are losing at least Rs 1,000 less than the MSP of Rs 7,775 a quintal. The farmers also demanded arrangements for driers in mandis for drying the maize crop.
The Punjab farmers met in Mohali and then moved towards the residence of the Chief Minister in Chandigarh. However, police stopped them at the Chandigarh-Mohali border where barricades were put up. Only farmer leaders went to meet the agriculture minister at his office.
On Monday, the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress criticized the AAP government for not ensuring the procurement of maize and moong at MSP. The farmers of Punjab have been complaining for a long time about not getting adequate compensation for their crops. Traders have been exploiting them, creating a monopoly in mandis. The government has to intervene to ensure farmers receive better prices for their crops, especially in the face of mounting losses farmers are experiencing.
