Farmers exert pressure on gov to make it purchase paddy

By Our Correspondent,Bhairahawa, Dec. 13: National Farmers’ Federation and All Nepal Peasants Federation Rupandehi have padlocked the Lumbini Regional Office of the Food Management and Trading Company Limited in Bhairahawa, demanding that the paddy procurement process be carried forward without delay and supply of fertiliser be eased.

Mahendra Giri, secretary of All Nepal Peasants Federation, Lumbini Province, said that the office was padlocked jointly by All Nepal Farmers Federation and Nepal Farmers Federation.

The National Farmers’ Federation has also announced other programmes of protest to exert pressure on the concerned bodies to make them purchase the paddy from the farmers.

The protest programmes include inviting more farmers to join the struggle, mobilising the farmer organisations nationwide, submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister and Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies to draw  their attention to the problems of the farmers, staging sit-in, padlocking the offices of the Food Management and Trading Company Limited, and organising  demonstrations in various districts and local levels, said Beg Bahadur Kunwar, chairman of the National Farmers’ Federation, Rupandehi.

Krishna Prasad Panthi, President of All Nepal Peasants Federation, Rupandehi, said that if the paddy procurement process did not start within the given deadline of the protest, the second phase of struggle programmes would be conducted.

At the same time, National Farmers’ Federation, Rupandehi and All Nepal Peasants Federation Rupandehi jointly submitted a memorandum to the chief of Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Lumbini Regional Office, Bhairahawa.

Giri demanded that the process of purchasing paddy from the farmers be begun immediately and arrangement for the supply of  the fertilisers for winter crops be made.

He said, “Otherwise, the farmers’ federations will be compelled to mobilise the farmers across the country.”

In its policy and programme and budget, the government has made provisions to determine the support price of paddy and purchase it, and if the farmer has to sell it at a price lower than the support price, farmers will also ask for the different price amount.

Giri said that the government was not purchasing paddy, which contradicts its own declaration and commitment.

He said that since the government agencies had not started the process of purchasing rice, the farmers were forced to sell it to the traders at a low price.

A Cabinet meeting held on November 2 had fixed the minimum support price of paddy for this year. The price of coarse paddy is fixed at Rs. 2,967 and medium paddy at Rs. 3,128 per quintal.