Paddy procurement: BJP-led farmers protest; Kerala govt assures quick collection

Palakkad(Kerala), Nov 1 (PTI) A section of farmers led by BJP held a protest, with their mouths gagged with black cloth, in the north Kerala district on Saturday claiming lack of paddy procurement by the government and mill owners.

Later in the day, state Minister for Agriculture P Prasad said that in view of the paddy procurement issues created due to the stand taken by mill owners, the Food Supplies Department's SupplyCo will take steps to collect the harvested rice grains from the farmers.

The decision was taken following an urgent meeting of the Agriculture and Food Supplies departments, the minister said.

He also said that in Palakkad and some other places in the state, collection centres will be set up by the SupplyCo to procure and store paddy collected from farmers.

Prasad told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that the paddy procurement will be expedited, especially in the Kuttanad region of Kerala where it will begin on Saturday itself as ordered by state Food Supplies Minister G R Anil.

He asserted that farmers will not be left to the mercy of mill owners who despite various concessions given by the government are adamantly refusing to collect paddy.

"There will be effective intervention from the government's side," he assured.

Earlier in the day, carrying BJP flags and with their mouths gagged, the protestors gathered near the Palakkad stadium and held up banners and placards seeking compensation for the agricultural loss suffered by farmers.

BJP state vice president C Krishnakumar, who was leading the protestors, said that 45 days have gone by since the harvest of paddy, but it has not yet been picked up by the government or mill owners.

"There is no response on the issue of paddy procurement from the government or officials' side," he told reporters here.

He further said that even the meeting under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's leadership with the mill owners did not have the desired results.

Krishnakumar also termed as "miniscule" the recent hike in the paddy procurement price. PTI HMP ROH