AAP blames govt for distress sale of basmati
Thursday, 08/10/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx8
GURDASPUR: Aam Aadmi Party Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur on Wednesday said farmers were suffering due to alleged anti-farmer policies of the so called profarmer SAD-BJP alliance government in Punjab.
“In the absence of a clear procurement policy with the state government, basmati crop was not being purchased at genuine rate in the mandis of the state and the farmers unable to bear the financial loss, were sometimes driven to commit suicide,” he said at his residence at Chhotepur village near here.
He said farmer, who was called the food provider to the country, was being financially weakened every year. The Aam Aadmi Party leader regretted that the farmers were not getting even the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government for the basmati crops of 1509, Sharbati, 1121 and Dev Gowda.
He alleged that the farmers had to sell their basmati crop to the private traders at much lower price than the fixed minimum support price (MSP) per quintal, causing a huge financial loss to them.