NEW DELHI: In a fresh round of the ongoing tussle between the Centre and the city government, Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Friday blamed the central agency Food Corporation of India for harassing farmers. He also accused FCI of lying on the issue of procurement of wheat crop at minimum support price (MSP) at wholesale grain mandis in the national capital.
Rai, who holds the charge of agriculture department, visited the Narela Mandi on Friday. After the visit, he said that FCI has not set up any counters to procure food grains from the farmers, contrary to the claims of the agency. “In Narela Mandi, neither any procurement is being done nor has any counter been set up. The FCI claimed that they have set up a counter but our visit reveals something else.
Some of their officers had said that counters had been set up in the godown. However, even over there, no purchases were being done, and instead, farmers had been asked for documents,” said the minister. The AAP government has claimed that farmers are being harassed and being made to run from pillar to post to sell their produce at the MSP. Rai said that the mandi system has been created to help farmers but they are being sent from one place to another to collect documents asked by the central government officials. Many are returning without selling their crop.
“Farmers are fighting a battle of MSP. They know how much they will be harassed after the implementation of the three new agricultural laws. The Centre should stop harassing farmers and purchase food grains by setting up counters in mandis. We will hold a meeting with senior officials of FCI,” added the minister. Earlier, FCI had said that the crop is being procured by them and the claims of the Delhi government are false.