Farmers in Bhojpur Demand Urgent Action for Paddy Procurement Amid Protests and Financial Strain

Farmers in Bhojpur district are very upset because the government has not started buying their harvested paddy. This frustration boiled over on Thursday when farmers began protesting in Vaisadih village, where they burned paddy in their fields. They have been waiting for a long time to sell their crop, but it remains exposed to the weather, hurting their finances.

The farmers accused the local PACS president of not buying their paddy while allowing middlemen to take paddy from outsiders. They have warned that if the government doesn’t start procurement within the next ten days, they will block the roads with their paddy as a form of protest. This warning has raised concerns among local officials and representatives.

One elderly farmer, Radha Mohan Upadhyay, mentioned that their village cultivates on 1200 acres and has produced around 8000 quintals of paddy this year. He shared that their harvest has been sitting for 15 days without any buyers, while both traders and the PACS president are offering only Rs 1800 per quintal, which is not fair to the farmers.

Deputy Chief Nishant Kumar Upadhyay stated that many farmers’ paddy is not being collected. He added that when complaints are made, the blame is being passed around. A written complaint has been submitted to the Piro SDO, but no action has been seen yet. Farmers are demanding a fair inquiry into the PACS president’s actions and a proper procurement process.

Currently, the administration is trying to reassure farmers and manage the situation, but there is still a lot of dissatisfaction due to the lack of procurement activities. If the farmers’ issues are not resolved soon, they may intensify their protests, putting more pressure on local authorities.