Update. Government paddy buying did not start at several centres in Raebareli on Monday, 2 November 2026. Amar Ujala reported that centres at Ghurwara, Harchandpur and Parshadepur stayed locked and no grain was weighed. Farmers who came to sell their crop went back home. Abhay Bajpai, a society secretary, told the paper that buying will start only after the strike by cooperative society secretaries ends. Single source: only Amar Ujala has reported the locked paddy centres so far, and we could not find a second report at the time of filing. On Sunday, officials had said the 91 centres would open on Monday, as we reported in our earlier story.
Why it matters: The same strike has also stopped fertiliser sales at many society stores. Secretaries and staff of cooperative societies across Uttar Pradesh have been on an indefinite strike since 22 October 2026 over pay, arrears and job security, according to Hindustan and Amar Ujala. In Deeh block, Dainik Bhaskar reported that the Sansari society has 500 bags of NPK and 22 tonnes of urea in stock, but nothing is being given out. Society secretary Vishwanath Tiwari said the protest has held up distribution. Amar Ujala found societies locked in Jagatpur block and at Ghurwara, Katghar and Madhukarpur. Hindustan reported the same in Lalganj, where DAP had reached the godowns. This is the sowing time for wheat, mustard, potato and peas. Farmers told reporters they are paying more at private shops. The state cooperative department has invoked the Uttar Pradesh Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1966, Amar Ujala reported on 26 October. A senior department official told the paper that payment of pending dues was in process.
Honest opinion: This strike now touches both the kharif sale and the rabi sowing, and that is the main risk. Small farmers lose most, as they cannot store grain for long and need cash for seed and fertiliser. Private traders and private fertiliser shops gain while society stores stay shut. Reports do not yet say how many of the 91 paddy centres are run by cooperative societies and how many by other agencies. That number decides how wide the delay will be. Much of the paddy is still drying after last week’s rain, so the real pressure will come in the next 10 days, when more grain is ready. Confidence: medium.
What you should do: Before you carry grain to a centre, call or visit it to check that weighing has started. Make sure your registration for paddy sale is complete on the Food and Civil Supplies Department portal, fcs.up.gov.in, or call its toll free number 1800 1800 150. If you buy fertiliser from a private shop, ask for a printed bill. If you are charged above the printed price, complain to the district agriculture office or on the IGRS portal, jansunwai.up.gov.in.
Sources
Amar Ujala (video report), 2 November 2026, 4:28 PM IST, https://www.amarujala.com/video/uttar-pradesh/raebareli/video-video-sacava-ka-haugdhatal-sa-thhana-kharatha-parabhavata-kathara-para-ltaka-raha-tal-2026-11-02
Dainik Bhaskar, 2 November 2026, 9:35 AM IST, https://www.bhaskar.com/local/uttar-pradesh/raibareli/parsadepur/news/raebareli-deeh-cooperative-society-fertilizer-distribution-protest-139566167.html
Amar Ujala, 30 October 2026, 12:09 AM IST, https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/raebareli/locks-on-cooperative-societies-farmers-left-scrambling-for-fertilizer-raebareli-news-c-101-1-rai1002-171037-2026-10-30
Hindustan, 28 October 2026, 9:20 PM IST, https://www.livehindustan.com/uttar-pradesh/raebareli/story-dap-fertilizer-shortage-disrupts-sowing-in-rae-bareli-as-cooperative-secretaries-strike-201793202653422.html
Amar Ujala, Lucknow, 26 October 2026, 8:59 AM IST, https://www.amarujala.com/lucknow/strike-by-secretaries-of-cooperative-societies-in-up-has-led-to-fertilizer-crisis-2026-10-26
Hindustan, 23 October 2026, 3:54 PM IST, https://www.livehindustan.com/national/story-uttar-pradesh-cooperative-society-employees-begin-indefinite-strike-farmers-face-fertilizer-shortage-201792751086451.html
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