Taking a strong note of distress sale of paddy variety PUSA 1121 in the state, Bhartiya Kissan Union (Lakhowal) has announced that it will burn this paddy on the streets in each district headquarter on November 5 as a mark of protest.

Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, president of the union and chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board, said: “This variety sold for Rs 3,000-Rs 3,500 per quintal last year. This year, however, the price has fallen to Rs 1,800-Rs 2,000 per quintal. The Centre should intervene immediately and announce the Minimum Support Price for this paddy variety and save the farmers. Failing this, we will be left with no option but to launch a state-wide stir. This year the farmers have been doubly hit, as first they braved the drought — burnt diesel to save their crop hoping that a good price would compensate for this loss. But their hope has been belied.”

Of the total area under paddy cultivation in Punjab, about 20 per cent falls under this variety with certain districts like Taran Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur where this percentage shoots up to 60 per cent of the total cultivated area.

Slamming the Centre for its decision to import 33,000 tons of rice, Lakhowal said: “This shows the anti-farmer policies of the Centre. Rice shellers in Punjab are facing problems in stocking new produce as the last year’s produce is still lying in godowns. But the Centre is not ready to take this grain, instead it has floated tenders to import rice,” said Lakhowal.