Ahead of the launch of the fourth agriculture roadmap by the Nitish Kumar government on October 18, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday threatened to launch an agitation in Bihar if the mandi (procurement centres) system is not restored in the State.
The national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) was in Patna to support the farmers, who have been protesting in a few districts, seeking fair price for their produce. Mr. Tikait also wrote a letter to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad in this regard. He threatened to launch an agitation in Bihar if the farmers’ demands are not met.
Mr. Tikait, while speaking to journalists along with RJD MLA Sudhakar Singh, said he will visit Rohtas, Kaimur, Patna and other districts, where the farmers have been staging protests.
In the letter, Mr. Tikait said the condition of farmers in Bihar is pathetic as they don’t get the minimum support price (MSP) on their produce. He urged Mr. Prasad to ensure the purchase of the entire foodgrain stock at MSP.
Seeks transparency
“Paddy purchase will start in December. Being the main crop of Patna, Magadh and Shahabad divisions, it is important that farmers get the right price. In Bihar, the procurement is done through only one agency – the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Society (PACCS) – and it only purchases 30% of the total production. I demand that the rule be changed to allow others to procure paddy from farmers at MSP. For this, it is necessary that special paddy purchasing centres be opened in all blocks and multiple agencies be involved to bring transparency in paddy/wheat procurement,“ Mr. Tikait said in the letter.
Last year, Mr. Tikait had written to Mr. Kumar demanding restoration of the mandi system in Bihar, which very existed in the State till 2006 with 100 mandis.
He also said that the schemes being run for farmers were not implemented properly. He alleged that the irrigation department’s funds were being spent elsewhere and not on farmers.
The first agriculture road map was launched in 2008, second in 2012 and third in 2017. The Chief Minister has invited President Draupadi Murmu to launch the fourth agriculture road map under which ₹1.62 lakh crore would be spent on agriculture in the next five years.
MLA Sudhakar Singh said a farmer’s movement is needed in the State because the community is suffering the most. Farmers sell their grains at the lowest price and migrate due to agricultural losses, he claimed.
