KATHMANDU: Farmers have been forced to bear the brunt as the government has delayed fixing the floor price for paddy.

The government had determined the minimum support price of paddy around mid-September last year.

The farmers have felt uneasy while being busy harvesting paddy at most places across the country owing to the delay in fixing the floor price of paddy on the part of the government.

Farmers have felt cheated as the local merchants have started to purchase paddy at a cheap price.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development had proposed the floor price in mid-July, and the proposal has now reached the Council of Ministers through the Ministry of Industry, said Prakash Kumar Sanjel, spokesperson of the agriculture ministry.

He said the proposal is yet to be approved by the Cabinet and that as the election code of conduct has been in place, Election Commission’s consent to approve the proposal needs to be secured.

Stakeholders view that the fixation of the support price of paddy is unlikely before the election due to the code of conduct.