Palakkad: Farmers in the district are all set to stage a symbolic protest against the state government and Supplyco for failing to procure paddy, even as the harvest of the first season is about to end. The protest by stepping into muddy fields has been called for 10 am tomorrow at the Kuzhalmandam Kulavanmuku paddy field.

The farmers have been lined up for the protest under the aegis of Kuzhalmandam Block Padasekhara Samiti Coordination Committee. The committee meeting stated that the government has forgotten that its the farmers' toil in the dirt that provides people with their daily meal, and termed the delay in procuring paddy as unjust.

Meanwhile, committee chairman K A Venugopal, vice chairmen I C Bose and P R Karunakaran, general convenor M C Muraleedharan, and coordinator K C Ashokan said that farmers will symbolically step into the muddy fields to express their protest against the government's anti–farmer stance.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the state government's policies, the committee stated that the government, which has betrayed the farmers by delaying the payment for paddy from the second harvest by six months, is now blaming the mills for the delay in acquiring the paddy.