The farmers of Uttar Pradesh have become unwitting victim of continuing agitation and lockouts by thousands of cooperative employees of Uttar Pradesh on the issue of salaries and related demands.
While the govt is not ready to pay heed to the demands co-op employees, it has become a major problem for the farmers of state, as due to the strike they are not getting urea from the cooperative societies on time.
Disappointed with the situations farmers are tuning to private urea seller who charge exorbitantly. “They are forced to pay higher prices as they buy urea from the private dealers. It is to be noted that sowing of rabi crops has begun. Farmers sow crops such as wheat, gram, peas, and lentils during this season.
Reports coming from Rath city in Hamirpur district of the state say that farmers are a disappointed lot over non-availability of DAP fertilizers in the area even as private dealers are earning huge profits by selling fertilizers to farmers on higher prices”.
Farmers in large number-standing in a queue outside the private dealer shops is a common sight. Talking to us some of them said, “while cooperatives sell one bag of DAP at Rs 1365, private dealers are selling it at Rs 1600. Farmers are forced to buy fertilizers at higher prices”.
A news from Narkhi block in Firozabad District of Uttar Pradesh says that a farmer bought two bags of DAP. While the rate mentioned on the bag was Rs 1250, private dealers charged him Rs 1310 per bag.
It is now more than a week that PACCs employees are on strike. One of the main demands remains compensation of salaries, which they have not got for the last two years.
Readers would recall that Uttar Pradesh cooperative employees held a big demonstration not only before the BJP headquarters in Lucknow but also tried gherao the Legislative Assembly, leading to police lathi-charge. Some of the demonstrators were injured in the melee.