Paddy procurement deadlock ends: rice millers announce purchases at government rates from October 14, farmers guarding paddy at Kichha mandi for 10-15 days

The Uttarakhand Rice Millers' Association announced on Tuesday, after meeting Mandi Parishad chairman Dr Anil Kapoor Dabbu, that all rice millers will start buying farmers' paddy at government rates from Wednesday, October 14. Rudrapur Mayor Vikas Sharma was also present at the meeting. Dr Kapoor said the millers' demands will be conveyed to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and taken up at a meeting with the Chief Minister on October 16 (Mahanaad). Meanwhile, at the Kichha grain mandi, according to Amar Ujala, many farmers have been guarding paddy lying in the mandi for 10 to 15 days and are having food sent from home. Of the mandi's four centres, only 758 quintals of paddy have been weighed at the cooperative department centre and 406 quintals at the cooperative society centre. According to state marketing inspector Kaushal Kumar, the rice mills that take the paddy have not yet been registered, and the portal will open only after that. Satpal Singh of Anjania has been at the mandi with 200 quintals of paddy since September 28. Farmers also alleged that middlemen are buying paddy at throwaway prices. (Source: Mahanaad, Amar Ujala)