Paddy procurement delay: BJP holds protests in Chhattisgarh

The BJP on Friday held statewide protests against the Congress government in Chhattisgarh over what the opposition party claimed was delay in paddy procurement.

While BJP national vice president and former chief minister Raman Singh led the day-long demonstration at Budhapara here in the capital, its state president Vikram Usendi led the protest in Pakhanjore in Kanker district.

Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik led the protest at Bilha in Bilaspur district.

The farmers are bearing the brunt of inordinate delay in paddy procurement, the party said.

"Earlier, the state government had announced that the procurement would start from November 15, based on which farmers had started harvesting crops. But later the state government postponed the paddy procurement process," Raman Singh said addressing protesters.

"Farmers are now bound to sell their paddy produce to bichauliye (middlemen) at throwaway prices. The delay in procurement will benefit middlemen while farmers will have to bear losses," he said.

Instead of ditching farmers, the Congress government should immediately start paddy procurement at Rs 2,500 per quintal like it had promised, he said.

Later, the BJP submitted a memorandum to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, accusing the Congress government of going back on its promise of purchasing paddy at Rs 2,500 per quintal.

The state government has a target to procure over 85 lakh metric tonnes of paddy at Rs 2500 per quintal from farmers during this Kharif season.

The procurement is scheduled to start from December 1, officials here said.

Earlier, the state government had decided to start the procurement from November 15, but it was postponed due to the delay in monsoon, which in turn delayed ripening of paddy, as well as pending registration of farmers with concerned primary cooperative societies for selling their produce, officials said.