BHUBANESWAR: With the online registration of farmers for sale of surplus paddy under the price support system going slow, the State Government has once again extended the deadline by a week till September 17.
“The Government decided to extend the deadline for farmers’ registration for sale of paddy in 2019-20 Kharif marketing season till September 17 following a request from farmers,” Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said. Around 10 lakh farmers have been registered by the extended date of September 10 while 12.59 lakh farmers had registered in 2018-19 Kharif season.
The farmers, who have not been able to register their names under the paddy procurement automation (P-PAS) system due to various reasons, had sought more time from the Government. The Minister said the authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that farmers’ registration is done in a most transparent manner and not a single actual cultivator is left out. The major thrust of the Government is to cover as many small, marginal and sharecroppers as possible under P-PAS, he added.
The process of registration, which started from August 6, was scheduled to be over by August 31. However, less than 50 per cent of the farmers, who had enrolled during the 2018-19 Kharif season, could register their names by the stipulated date. The Government extended the deadline to September 10.
Even as 51 lakh farmers have received financial assistance under the State-sponsored KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation), only one-fifth of them have registered their names for sale of surplus paddy.
Reports reaching from districts to the Cooperation department said only 34 per cent of the farmers who had registered last year in Cuttack district have renewed their registration so far.
While 56,143 farmers had enrolled their names under P-PAS in 2018-19, only 29,816 farmers have registered so far. Unlike many coastal districts, Cuttack is not a major paddy procurement district.
Similar is the case with Rayagada district where only 12 per cent of farmers have registered their names. Of 17,996 farmers registered in 2018-19, only 3,268 have submitted their registration forms to primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS).