SAMBALPUR: Former minister and district BJD president Rohit Pujari on Tuesday alleged that the unrest among farmers in Sambalpur has exposed the systemic failure of the BJP-led government’s paddy procurement mechanism.
Pujari claimed this year, the paddy procurement process has collapsed from the very beginning, forcing farmers to bring their hard-earned produce to the roads due to administrative lapses. “While the minister concerned claims there are no issues in procurement, farmers across western Odisha have been suffering because of delays in registration, late opening of mandis and lack of coordination between millers and the administration,” he alleged.
He further said unnecessary delays in lifting of paddy from mandis coupled with unseasonal rains have pushed farmers into distress. Token distribution, he alleged, has remained completely disorganised, leaving farmers confused and helpless. “While the government keeps on giving assurances, not a single problem is being addressed,” he said.
Accusing the state government of betraying farmers while claiming to support them through input subsidies, the BJD leader demanded immediate corrective action to ensure smooth and timely procurement, strict monitoring of lifting of paddy from mandis and concrete measures to resolve grievances of farmers.
“If the government fails to fix the prevailing mismanagement, the BJD will be forced to resort to agitation in the larger interest of farmers,” he added.