Abohar/Chandigarh, November 14
Former Punjab president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunil Jakhar visited the Abohar grain market today, where he met farmers waiting to sell their paddy and heard their concerns. Jakhar said the Bhagwant Singh Mann government had failed to approach the central government in time to seek an increase in the Cash Credit Limit (CCL) to cover a higher paddy procurement target. He said the state government had instead lowered the targets for Abohar grain market and Fazilka district as a whole compared with last year’s figures. He described this as evidence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s anti-farmer approach.
Jakhar said Abohar grain market received 79,963 metric tonnes of paddy last year, while the state government set this year’s procurement target at 67,200 metric tonnes. Across Fazilka district, 226,207 metric tonnes were procured last year, while this year’s target was set at 176,960 metric tonnes, even as the area under paddy cultivation in the district continued to expand. He called for an inquiry to determine who ordered the reduction.
Jakhar said the government’s failure to assess the district’s crop in time, coupled with its decision to set a lower procurement target, reflected poor planning and policies that hurt farmers. Referring to the central government, Jakhar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had released a cash credit limit of more than ₹42,000 crore on September 28, in line with Punjab’s request to procure 180 lakh tonnes of paddy. He said farmers had been waiting in grain markets for several days, yet Punjab’s food and supplies minister, agriculture minister and chief minister had all failed to raise the matter with the central government. He accused the Mann government of disregarding farmers’ interests and deliberately causing them hardship. Jakhar said that when farmers held a protest in Chandigarh, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian had personally given them a written assurance that decisions in their interest would be implemented. He said the government’s lack of planning had nevertheless left farmers waiting in grain markets to sell their paddy.
Jakhar also alleged that farmers had faced widespread deductions during earlier paddy purchases and had been shortchanged in the process. He called for an investigation into whether the money from those deductions had reached the accounts of officials or political leaders. Jakhar said the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had consistently supported farmers’ interests. He said it had released the cash credit limit on time and increased the subsidy on potash and phosphate fertilizers by 64% for the rabi season. He added that the central government was buying diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer at ₹100 per kilogram and supplying it to farmers at ₹27 per kilogram.
Jakhar said he stood firmly with farmers on the issue and that the central government would extend all possible help once Punjab submitted a written request. He urged the Mann government to buy the crop using state funds while it sought an increase in the procurement quota from the central government. He said the state could adjust the expenditure once it received the central funds. Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar was also present.
