Agitated farmers at Baneswarhat under Puthia upazila demonstrated by putting a siege on Rajshahi-Dhaka highway on Tuesday morning in protest against realising excessive toll of agricultural products from the farmers by the wholesale traders at the hat. As a result, the selling of commodities at the hat remained suspended for hours. However, the siege was withdrawn following the assurance from the upazila administration to accept the demand of the farmers.
Sohel Rana, Onion farmer of Bhalukgacchi village of the upazila informed wholesale traders realised 42- kilogrammes of all farm products for a maund but pay them the price of 40-kilogramme, thus incurring them a loss of price of two-kilogrammes. However, while those wholesale traders sell the same products to the retailers or to any consumer, they sell those at 40-kilogramme per maund. He further complained, on the plea of using digital balance, the wholesale traders at the hat were regularly cheating the poor farmers.
Moreover, they said, the leasee of the hat was realising through the sweepers of the hat one kilogramme weighing toll of all farm products from the farmers. As a result, all farmers were paying at least three-kilogramme of their products to the wholesale traders and the leasee of the hat as subsidy from their own products. Farmers had been protesting such excessive realisation of the toll of farm products by the leasee of the hat but failed to resolve their problem. As a result, they started a demonstration by putting blockade on Rajshahi-Dhaka high way this morning.
Osman Ali, Leasee of the Baneswarhat informed, wholesale traders at the hat were charging an excess of one to one and a half kilogrammes of farm products per maund from the farmers after the introduction of the digital balance system but farmers were protesting that. They will not pay more than 40-kilogramme in a maund. With this issue farmers and the traders locked in an altercation in the morning and farmers started agitation by stopping selling their goods and by blocking the road. However, the dispute was resolved as the Upazila Administration assured to take step in this connection.
Puthia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nurul Hye Mohammd Anas informed a trouble was brewed between the traders and the farmers at Baneswarhat on the issue to realising excessive farm products from farmers against the actual weight. The dispute has been resolved primarily and it will be resolved permanently by holding a meeting with the traders and the farmers soon.