Farmer leaders under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Tuesday held a protest in Mohali against lower than the minimum support prices being offered to growers for maize and moong crops in mandis.

Later, they also held a meeting with Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian in Chandigarh and urged him that the state government should ensure that the farmers get adequate prices for their crops.

Farmer leaders claimed that the growers of maize and 'moong' (green gram) were being "exploited" by private traders in mandis by giving them less than the MSP.

"Farmers are facing losses up to Rs 2,000 per quintal in maize and moong crops. Traders have created a monopoly in mandis and the government is not entering the market (for the purchase of crops)," said farmer leader Darshan Pal.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal said maize and moong farmers were being "looted" in mandis.

He said that against the MSP of Rs 2,090 per quintal, farmers are getting just Rs 1,400-1,500 per quintal in the market. Lahowal demanded that the government enter the mandis through its agency for the purchase of crops.

He further said that in the case of moong crops, farmers were getting a price which was at least Rs 1,000 less than the MSP of Rs 7,775 a quintal.

Farmers also demanded arrangements for driers in mandis for drying the maize crop.

Darshan Pal said that they also asked the agriculture minister to arrange a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take up this issue with him.

Earlier, farmer leaders of more than 30 farmer outfits in Punjab held a meeting at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali.

Farmer leaders along with other farmers then headed towards the residence of the chief minister in Chandigarh. But police stopped them at the Chandigarh-Mohali border where barricades were put up.

Later, only farmer leaders went to meet the agriculture minister in Chandigarh.

On Monday, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress criticized the AAP government for not ensuring the procurement of maize and moong at MSP.

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