Farmer unions have postponed their planned ‘rail roko’ protest by three days following official assurances that wheat procurement will be streamlined.
Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) announced the decision after an online meeting with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Azad Kisan Morcha (AKM), noting that the 72-hour grace period serves as a final ultimatum to both state and central governments.
The agitation, originally triggered by slow grain lifting following crop damage from untimely rains, remains on standby should the administrative response falter.
In a move that addresses the core of the farmers’ grievances, the Union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution on Friday approved a retroactive relaxation of procurement specifications for the current rabi season. Union minister Pralhad Joshi confirmed that the easing of quality standards—rendered necessary by grain shrivelling and lustre loss—aims to prevent distress sales below the MSP of ₹2,585 per quintal.
This intervention follows a formal request by the Punjab government on April 9, providing a critical safety net for farmers whose produce fell short of standard “fair average quality” benchmarks due to recent hailstorms.
Despite this federal relief, Pandher maintained pressure on Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of delaying the request to central agencies while focusing on political rallies.
The KMM leader said while neighbouring states secured these relaxations earlier, Punjab’s delay exacerbated the crisis at the mandis. While the unions acknowledged reports that procurement has finally begun in several markets, they warned that any failure to expedite the operation within the next three days will lead to an immediate resumption of the statewide rail agitation.
