Odisha farmers’ anticipate paddy sale grows longer

By Express News Service
ROURKELA: Resentment is brewing amongst farmers of tribal-dominated Sundargarh district as they’re unable to promote paddy on time attributable to procedural delay in procurement and manipulative practices of unscrupulous merchants. 

Administrative sources knowledgeable that this yr, round 11.30 lakh quintal paddy has been bought from 17,855 registered farmers within the district thus far. As many as 29,997 remaining registered farmers are but to promote their produce. In absence of mounted procurement goal, farmers are made to attend regardless of receiving tokens.

The giant and multi-purpose cooperative societies (LAMPCS) usually are not in a position to buy paddy with none well timed procurement goal from the Civil Supplies division. As procurement can be over by March, farmers worry that in the event that they fail to promote their produce by the final date, they must undergo losses. In 2020, round 18.49 lakh quintal of paddy was procured within the district. However, 6,482 registered farmers had didn’t promote round 4.23 lakh quintal paddy.  

On Wednesday, a bit of farmers staged highway blockade in Balishankara block to protest procurement delay. They demanded quick challenge of tokens to farmers having greater than 10 acre of land. The day earlier than, farmers had resented delay in procurement at Bisra LAMPC and Purkaplali paddy procurement centre in Kutra block.   

Farmers with above 10 acre of land haven’t been issued tokens as authorities has requested the district administration to confirm authenticity of such individuals. A report on this regard was submitted just lately. Sources mentioned the district administration just lately ordered a probe after it was discovered that some unscrupulous merchants fraudulently registered themselves utilizing land information of real farmers with out their data. 

The modus operandi of those pretend farmers was to acquire paddy at Rs 1,100-Rs 1,200 per quintal from small and marginal farmers and promote it at procurement centres at Rs 1,868 per quintal. Civil Supplies Officer BC Mangraj mentioned the district was allowed to buy 15.88 lakh quintal paddy in two phases. The administration has despatched a contemporary request to the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare division to permit extra buy of 9.11 lakh quintal paddy from farmers.