SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Leader of Opposition (LO) in the KHADC, Titosstarwell Chyne, on Sunday remarked that it was almost comical to see Chief Executive Member (CEM) Shemborlang Rynjah and his Executive Members (EMs) being “tutored like schoolchildren” by farmers during their recent visit to the Iewduh wholesale vegetable market on the issue of “Ot Kilo” — the deduction of weight from agricultural produce.
It may be recalled that the CEM had led a delegation to the Iewduh market on Friday, accompanied by Council Chairman Strong Pillar Kharjana, EMs, and officials, to interact with farmers and gain a better understanding of the issue.
“I saw in the media how they were being tutored by the farmers, and some of them even repeated the same question — it was laughable. It would have been better had they done some homework on the matter. Instead, they ended up making a clown of themselves by asking farmers to educate them,” Chyne said.
He LO pointed out that the issue is not new, noting that several previous Executive Committees (ECs) had attempted to address it.
Chyne, who served as CEM earlier, claimed that only the Executive Committee under his leadership had managed to formulate an Act aimed at addressing this major concern of the farming community regarding weight deductions.
He urged the present EC to implement the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Establishment, Management & Control of Markets) (Second Amendment) Regulation Act, 2021, and to follow up with the government to expedite the Governor’s assent to the rules that were prepared for its enforcement. “The Act empowers the KHADC to fix the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and prohibits traders from deducting weight from farmers’ goods,” Chyne stated.
He recalled that one of the key provisions of the amendment was to vest the responsibility of monitoring such issues with the market committee.
Chyne also noted that this issue is not limited to the Iewduh market but is prevalent in several traditional markets across the region.
“Now it depends on the rules. I was informed that these were framed in consultation with the farmers, keeping their welfare in mind,” he said.
He also emphasized that the Executive Committee should focus on fulfilling its responsibilities as mandated, rather than indulging in street-level politics.
“It is better to concentrate on implementing the Act, which was specifically designed to resolve this issue,” Chyne added.
It may be mentioned that the EC had visited the Iewduh wholesale market on Friday to assess the challenges faced by local farmers, particularly the long-standing problem of unjustified weight deductions.
During the visit, farmers expressed their frustration over traders deducting weight for supposedly damaged or spoiled goods, even when the produce was fresh. They also alleged that such deductions are applied only to local produce, while goods imported from outside the state are spared.
“This clearly reflects bias and shows how non-tribal traders dominating the market are exploiting local farmers,” said one of the farmers.
It is worth noting that the new rules, which are still pending with the District Council Affairs (DCA) Department, aim to prevent traders at Iewduh from deducting the weight of agricultural produce brought in by farmers.
Instead, the proposed rules mandate that the sacks be weighed separately — a provision that seeks to address a long-standing grievance of the farming community.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Establishment, Management and Control of Markets) (Second Amendment) Regulation Act, 2021 received the Governor’s assent on July 23, 2023.
