Arbitrary charges against grain-selling farmers will be severely punished

At the Nancha State Grain Reserve Depot in Yichun, Heilongjiang, during the recent autumn grain purchase, someone charged farmers or truck drivers who came to sell grain an entry fee of 100 yuan per vehicle under the pretext of “logistics fees” and “information fees,” and did not issue invoices. At present, the Heilongjiang Provincial Grain Bureau has urgently dispatched an investigation team to verify the matter and has temporarily suspended the depot's purchase of new grain. Nothing concerning farmers' interests is a trivial matter, and relevant departments should always keep this firmly in mind, put an end to such incidents, and ensure that farmers' interests are not harmed.

Since the abolition of the agricultural tax in 2006, the burden on farmers has been greatly reduced, but there are still some places that invent pretexts for arbitrary charges, increasing the burden on farmers. It is not easy for farmers to grow grain, and the income from one mu of land is meager. In order to protect comprehensive grain production capacity, motivate farmers to grow grain, and increase farmers' incomes, the state directly subsidizes farmers through benefit-to-farmers policies such as direct grain subsidies, improved seed subsidies, and comprehensive agricultural input subsidies.

Every drop of sweat a farmer sheds in growing grain is hard-earned. This year, for a Heilongjiang farmer growing one mu of rice, the various central grain subsidies add up to less than 100 yuan; yet after the hard-earned grain is harvested and sold, a single so-called “entry fee” costs 100 yuan, which is truly astonishing.

The joy of harvest was still on their faces when they encountered this “chokehold” of arbitrary charges. We cannot help but ask: these so-called “logistics fees” and “information fees” that are collected without invoices and without any clear explanation, who exactly is collecting them? How much has been collected? Where has the money gone? Is there any shady collusion of interests involved? Relevant local departments must not stop at the level of correction, refunds, and apologies; they must give farmers an explanation and give the public an account.

⟦NL> It is worth pondering that before this year's autumn grain purchase, relevant departments in Heilongjiang Province clearly required that grain collection and storage depots undertaking the minimum purchase price task strictly implement national purchase policies and quality and price standards, not accept grain as a favor, not use scales as a favor, not abuse power to extort or obstruct, and not make things difficult for farmers delivering grain. The words are still ringing in our ears, yet someone has defied the rules and acted recklessly, which shows that protecting farmers' interests cannot remain at the level of talk and documents, and that supervision and law enforcement must be intensified urgently.

Nothing concerning farmers' interests is a trivial matter. At present, all localities should seriously investigate and punish illegal charges involving agriculture, promptly correct arbitrary charging practices that infringe on farmers' interests, protect farmers' lawful rights and interests, effectively reduce the burden on farmers, and handle issues harming farmers' interests quickly and strictly in accordance with laws and regulations, so that farmers have a greater real sense of “gain.”