Farmers to protest wheat import in New Delhi

MOGA: In response to a call given by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), farmers from all over the country, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Tikait, will stage a demonstration in New Delhi protesting the Centre's decision to import wheat.

Disclosing this here today, BKU's Punjab unit chief Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said farmers of the country would not allow the Centre to import wheat at an exorbitant rate of Rs 1,600 per quintal.

He ridiculed the government's assertion of maintaining buffer stock by importing wheat when the country had already produced more than one crore metric tonnes of wheat.

The demonstration will also press upon the Union government to fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy at Rs 900 per quintal. A Memorandum will be submitted to both Prime Minister and Union Food Minister, Lakhowal said.