Paddy weighing still stalled in Sitarganj–Nanakmatta after 10 days: only 1,700 quintals bought at SMO centre, farmers selling to middlemen for as little as ₹1,800 a quintal

Ten days on, weighing has still not begun at paddy purchase centres in the Sitarganj and Nanakmatta area. By Saturday, 1,700 quintals of paddy had been bought at the SMO purchase centre in Sitarganj, while the other centres have only banners up. Weighing has not started at the kachcha arhtiyas (commission agents) either. With no weighing at government scales or the agents, farmers' paddy is going to middlemen for as little as ₹1,800 a quintal, with various deductions also alleged. The government had aimed to start buying from October 1, but rice millers have not yet registered because of their demands, and the commission agents have not been registered either; the agents are demanding payment for paddy bought last year. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) state president Gursewak Singh Mohar has demanded ₹50,000 an acre in compensation for crops damaged by rain in Bajpur and Gadarpur, and warned of an agitation at the district headquarters if it is not paid. (Source: Hindustan)