Alleging that traders had hatched a conspiracy to buy unripe kinnow at a throwaway price, officials of several farm bodies reached the kinnow mandi near New Green Market Complex here today and stopped bidding for the fruit.
Apprehending confrontation, the administration called the police force. Gunwant Singh, state secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Khosa, said the kinnow crop was at present completely raw in the orchards.
“But traders coming from outside are making pools and buying the raw fruit at a meagre price of Rs 7-8 per kg. The ripe fruit can be easily sold at two to three times the price,” he added.
“We tried to explain this to farmers several times but the sale continues. That is why the bidding of kinnow has been stopped in the market from today,” the farm leader said.
He added that any attempt by traders to mislead farmers will be strongly opposed. BKU leaders called upon farmers to stop selling the fruit until November 30, after which they would get better prices for their produce.
Leaders of the BKU Sidhupur, BKU Khosa, Kisan Union Shere Punjab and BKU Rajewal addressed the farmers today.
