Bathinda: Angry over tardy procurement of paddy in the grain markets of Barnala, activists belonging to farmer outfits BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and Punjab Kisan Union on Wednesday disrupted traffic on Bathinda-Chandigarh national highway near Harigarh village. Farmer activists were demanding that the limit of moisture content in the crop should be raised to 22% from 17%, as the crop was transplanted late as well as untimely rains at the time of harvest raised moisture content.They alleged that the farmers had to sit in the grain markets for many days, as the procurement agencies were not purchasing claiming moisture content was beyond the permissible limit. Following the farmers’ protest, traffic had to be diverted through villages causing inconvenience to the commuters.Mohinder Singh, a farmer sitting in Dhanaula mandi (grain market), said he was in the mandi for the last five days to sell his paddy crop harvested from four acres. “The procurement agencies are not purchasing my produce, claiming the moisture content is more than the permissible limit,” he said.Another farmer Gurbaksh Singh, waiting for procurement in Barnala grain market, said the moisture content could be somewhat higher as the crop was transplanted late and then untimely rains lashed the region at the time of harvest. “We are dependent on the sale of the crop to meet our expenses, but have to sit in the grain market for days before it gets procured,” he said.Barnala deputy commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta said paddy was being procured according to specifications. “We are also looking into the grievances of the farmers. Over 75% of paddy arrived in the mandis have already been procured,” he said.

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