Mounting pressure on administrative authorities ahead of the impending crushing season, the Bahraich district unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU - Apolitical) organized its scheduled monthly panchayat on Friday to address escalating rural distress. Presided over by District President Pramod Tiwari, hundreds of agitating farmers converged at the demonstration venue before marching to hand over an exhaustive memorandum addressed to the District Magistrate. The primary charter of demands calls for a complete waiver of outstanding agricultural crop loans and an immediate hike in the state-advised remunerative price for sugarcane to ₹600 per quintal, citing steep inflation in fuel, fertilizer, and agricultural input costs.

Demanding 15% Interest on Decades of Cane Arrears and Timely Mandi Procurement

Addressing the congregation, farmer union representatives forcefully demanded the immediate settlement of delayed sugarcane dues accumulating across crushing seasons from 1996-97 through 2025-26. The union asserted that statutory guidelines mandating a 15 percent annual interest penalty on any payment delayed beyond the 14-day threshold must be enforced without compromise. Additionally, the peasant leaders pressed the district administration to open an adequate network of state-run purchase centers to facilitate prompt, hassle-free procurement of seasonal crops directly from growers, preventing distress sales to unauthorized middlemen and private consolidators.

Crackdown Sought on Mandi Irregularities and Rural Encroachments

The memorandum further brought attention to serious commercial violations at the Payagpur Naveen Galla Mandi, where rogue traders reportedly bypass official auction protocols by purchasing commodities off-market while unlawfully operating private vegetable stalls on designated auction platforms. Demanding high-level administrative probes and punitive actions at the mandi, the union also insisted on prompt revenue interventions across rural pockets. Specific calls were made to re-investigate and clear illegal land encroachments over traditional village manure compost pits (ghura) in Khandarwa Mouza Khunaura, enforce pending judicial orders in Kevalpur, and systematically reclaim encroached public land in Pathakpura village.