Udham Singh Nagar: 5,000 farmers register to sell paddy but not a single miller buying; millers on strike over Rs 500 crore dues

After online registration was made mandatory for selling paddy in Udham Singh Nagar, about 5,000 farmers from across the district have applied, but not a single miller has come forward to buy their paddy. About 300 rice millers in the district are on strike over Rs 500 crore in pending payments and say they will not buy new paddy until the old dues are paid. The government had announced that paddy procurement would begin on October 1, but not a single grain has been bought at the Rudrapur grain market so far. This time the millers' security deposit has been raised from Rs 20-50 lakh to Rs 2.50 crore. According to Rudrapur centre in-charge Harpreet Kaur, paddy is not reaching the centres yet because of moisture in the crop, procurement will pick up after a week and the centres are ready. (Source: Amar Ujala)