Punjab farmers defer rail roko protest over wheat procurement delay

Weather ePaper Today’s Paper Journalism of Courage Home ePaper Politics Explained Opinion India Business Premium Cities UPSC Entertainment Sports World Lifestyle Tech Subscribe Sign In TrendingUPSC OfferIPL 2026US NewsPuzzles & GamesLegal NewsFresh TakeHealthResearch🎙️ Podcast Advertisement function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript() { if (window.jQuery) { // jQuery is loaded, include your script jQuery(document).ready(function($) { // Your existing script for checking window width if (window.innerWidth) var page_w = window.innerWidth; else if (document.all) var page_w = document.body.clientWidth; if (page_w > 1024) { $(".add-left, .add-right").show(); } else { $(".add-left, .add-right").hide(); } }); } else { // jQuery is not loaded, check again after 0.2 seconds setTimeout(checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript, 200); } } // Initial call to the function checkAndLoadWindowSizeScript(); NewsCitiesChandigarhPunjab farmers defer rail roko protest over wheat procurement delay Punjab farmers defer rail roko protest over wheat procurement delay A Punjab farmer leader said that the protesting unions have decided to give the Punjab and central governments three days to begin wheat procurement. Written by: Raakhi Jagga3 min readApr 17, 2026 10:35 AM IST Like thousands of farmers in Punjab, Labh Singh has been waiting for the procurement of his crop in a Bathinda mandi for the past week (Express Photo) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT Farmer unions in Punjab postponed a statewide ‘rail roko’ agitation, originally scheduled for Friday at 21 locations across the state, by three days after discussions with government officials. The Punjab chapter of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), five unions of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Punjab chapter, and the Azad Kisan Morcha (AKM) were leading the agitation to demand the immediate start of wheat procurement. “The decision was taken after leaders of KMM, SKM, and AKM held an online meeting on Friday. Government officials approached us and assured us that procurement arrangements would be improved soon. They also informed us that procurement has already begun in several mandis. Therefore, we have decided to give both the Punjab and central governments three days, failing which we will resume the agitation to press for our demands,” a farmer leader said. The call for the rail blockade came amid growing anger among farmers over heavy crop losses caused by recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms, along with delays in procurement, even as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) recommended a relaxation in key quality parameters for wheat procurement allowing up to 20 per cent shrivelled and broken grains, up to 80 per cent lustre loss, and up to 6 per cent damaged grains without any value cut. Farmer leaders alleged that while neighbouring states like Haryana and Rajasthan received relaxation in norms to begin procurement, Punjab has yet to get approval from the Centre. “It is ironic that the Punjab government wrote to the Union government so late, close to Baisakhi, seeking relaxation norms, while Haryana and Rajasthan had done so in the first week of April. The KMM will hold a meeting in Ludhiana on Saturday afternoon. We will review whether the relaxation norms by the Union government have been implemented by then,” a farmer leader said. Farmer union representatives also flagged poor mandi arrangements, stating that wheat is lying unsold and farmers are being forced into distress sales at lower prices. They have demanded immediate procurement at the full minimum support price (MSP), along with adequate availability of gunny bags and basic facilities such as shade and washrooms. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram