Sitarganj farmers block highway with tractor-trolleys as paddy goes unweighed, mandi gate locked in Khatima; 28 rice mills blacklisted over last year's pending rice, buying stalled

Angry that their paddy was not being weighed, farmers on Thursday blocked one side of the highway in Sitarganj with trolleys loaded with paddy and locked the mandi gate in Khatima. According to Hindustan, Sitarganj farmers allege that even after waiting 22 days their paddy has not been weighed, and they are being forced to sell it for about Rs 1,800 instead of the minimum support price of Rs 2,441 a quintal. After about two hours, on the assurance of the regional marketing officer (RMO), the farmers moved to a sit-in inside the mandi, and weighing began at 4:45 pm. According to mandi secretaries, under a new central government order rice mills that still owe last season's rice (CMR) will not be given new paddy, so the kachcha arhtiyas (commission agents) stayed away from buying. Rice miller Saurabh Singhal said 28 mills in Sitarganj have been blacklisted; he says their rice was never lifted because the government said its godowns had no space. In Khatima, 60-70 trolleys loaded with paddy stood in the mandi until evening. According to Amar Ujala, more than 20,000 quintals of paddy is lying on the platforms of the Sitarganj mandi waiting to be sold.