Draft agri marketing policy Punjab Minister Khuddian holds meeting with 'arhtiyas' rice millers

Chandigarh, Dec 26 (PTI) Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Thursday conducted a brainstorming session with 'arhtiyas' and rice millers of the state seeking their inputs and suggestions on the draft policy on 'National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing' here.
     An official statement after the meeting said, "Punjab is in no mood to leave any of the draft policy's clauses unconsidered, and a team of officers and agriculture experts is even decoding the message in between the lines".
     On December 19, Khuddian, held discussions with various farmers' bodies on the draft policy, had then said the state government is concerned "as this policy could have serious implications for the state and its farmers, so we want to analyse and consult on each and every aspect of the draft policy shared by the Government of India".
     On Thursday, Khuddian along with Punjab Mandi Board Chairman Harchand Singh Barsat and senior officers of the state government, conducted a brainstorming session with 'arhtiyas' (commission agents) and rice millers of the state seeking their inputs and suggestions on the said draft policy.
     "During the in-depth discussions that went on for more than two hours, it came up that the draft policy is totally silent on the Minimum Support Price (MSP), which is the most crucial for the state farmers and the clause regarding promoting the private markets will lead to overshadowing the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets," the statement said.
     Khuddian said the inputs and suggestions received from them would be incorporated in the reply to be sent to the union government regarding the draft policy.
     The Punjab government statement further said that it is apprehended that once the APMC markets fall into disarray, it would lead to exploitation of the farmers and small traders.
     The Agriculture Minister said that Rural Development Fund and Mandi Development Fund is crucial for maintaining Punjab's extensive agricultural infrastructure, especially Mandi infrastructure and maintaining roads connecting these mandis to the villages.
     Khuddian reiterated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government is committed to protect the interests of farmers of the state and will do everything possible to safeguard farmers' rights.
     Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after Khuddian held discussions with various farmers' bodies on the draft policy, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Balbir Singh Rajewal had last week said farmers have outrightly rejected the draft policy.
     "We have said that this is the central government's conspiracy to implement the now-repealed laws through a new way," said Rajewal.
     If this policy is implemented, then farmers will hold an agitation on a big scale, he added.
     Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan had said this draft policy should be rejected.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)