Ujjain: Outrage in mandi as farmers protest against low purchase price of garlic

Ujjain: Angry scenes prevailed at the Chimanganj Krishi Upaj Mandi on Monday, when farmers outraged over low purchasing prices of garlic by merchants under the Bhavantar Yojana, assembled at the mandi premises and shouted slogans, led by Bharatiya Kisan Sangh district secretary Bharat Singh Bains.

Bains said when the crop was notincluded in the Bhavantar yojana, it had been purchased at Rs 3000 per quintal but after including the crop in the Bhavantar Yojana, prices dropped and at present was being purchased by dealers at a minimum of Rs 200 to Rs 500 per quintal and a maximum of Rs 800 to 900. Bains further said he had also discussed the issue with the mandi secretary and apprised him of happenings.

Irked farmers presented a garlic garland to the mandi committee secretary Rajesh Goyal. Bains accused dealers and the mandi employees’ nexus for lowering purchase rates of the crop. He also opposed loading charges being charged at Rs 6.45 per sack, instead of Rs 4.20 for sacks weighing about 60 kg. Later, farmers held a mock funeral procession of the mandi administration and burnt a pyre in the Mandi premises. Seeing the outrage of farmers, the Mandi secretary instructed merchants to purchase garlic at a rate Rs 1000 per quintal on the lower side.

Bains also protested against loading charges charged by some of the firms purchasing garlic, andraised the issue of late payment release by dealers to farmers, demanding a 5 percent interest for delayed days. Pankaj Modi, Kamalsingh Anjana, Dasharath Pandya, Charansingh Jaat, Bhagwan Singh, Rajaram Devarakhedi, Bahadur Singh, Balkrishna Patidar, Jagdish Patidar, Sajjan Singh, Gulab Prajapat, Dilip Trivedi, Rajesh Solanki, Ramsingh Anjana and many members of the Bharatiya kisan sangh were present.