KENDRAPARA: The fate of a large numbers of farmers in the district hangs in balance after the authorities decided to procure only five lakh quintals of paddy at the start of the harvesting season. In the district, farmers are all set to harvest about 17 lakh quintals of paddy this year. However, after the administration’s announcement, a large number of farmers will not get chance to sell their paddy to Odisha State Civil Supply Corporation (OSCSC), said president of the district Krusak Sabha Umesh Chandra Singh.
Sources said farmers of Rajnagar, Rajkanika, Mahakalapada and Aul have already started harvesting paddy. Similarly, farmers of Pattamundai, Derabishi, Garadapur and Marsaghai will harvest their crops within two weeks.
Singh said some mill owners and traders have started purchasing paddy from farmers at `1,400 per quintal, which is `350 less than the minimum support price fixed by the Government.“Millers and traders are camping in villages to purchase paddy from the hapless farmers by paying them less money fixed by the authorities,” alleged Biswajit Behera, a farmer of Pattamundai.
Secretary of the district unit of Krusak Sabha Gayadhar Dhal said after harvesting paddy, farmers are being forced to sell their stock at throwaway price to meet their daily expenses. The administration, however, is not taking any steps to check the distress sale, he alleged.
Contacted, Civil Supply Officer (CSO) Rajanikanta Das said OSCSC has recently decided to procure five lakh quintals of paddy in the first phase from farmers. A decision on purchasing more paddy from farmers will be taken later, he said.
As many as 116 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) will procure paddy from farmers from December 17. After purchase, the PACS will hand over the paddy to 14 rice millers of the district, the CSO said.The MSP for a quintal of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) paddy has been fixed at `1,750, he added.