BARGARH: The farmers’ protest in Bargarh continued to rage as major organisations targeted the state government for what they described as administrative failure in paddy procurement.
At Padampur, members of the Rajbodasambar Krushak Sangathan staged a symbolic protest in front of the sub-collector’s office, urging the administration to ensure immediate procurement of paddy. When collector Aditya Goel reached the spot, the farmers laid paddy bags at his feet and bowed, seeking his intervention to resolve the crisis.
The farmers pointed out that during the last kharif season, nearly 30 lakh quintal of paddy were procured from the Padampur Regulated Market Committee. However, the situation has deteriorated this year. Although 92 paddy procurement centres (PPCs) have been opened, procurement has not begun at 42 centres so far, the farmers said.
According to the farmers’ organisation, around three lakh bags of paddy are lying unsold across various mandis, while only about 40,000 bags have been procured so far. They alleged that nearly 60 per cent of farmers are yet to receive tokens and that, in many cases, the tokens issued are far lower than the farmers’ actual landholdings and produce.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Jai Kisan Andolan (JKA) said paddy procurement in Bargarh has remained sluggish even 16 days after mandis were opened. More than 60 per cent of farmers in the district are yet to receive procurement tokens, they said.
The organisation warned that if the paddy lifting process is not expedited and tokens not issued to all eligible farmers within the next seven days, it would be forced to intensify its agitation. “The uncertainty has pushed farmers into a crisis. If paddy is not procured on time, the next cropping season will also be affected,” said JKA general secretary Hara Bania.
The outfit pointed out that the government has set a target of procuring 93 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during the 2025-26 marketing season. However, it alleged that mandis were opened after a considerable delay on various pretexts and that the procurement process has since been deliberately slowed, while token distribution remains incomplete.
The organisation also alleged that farmers’ issues were not discussed in the recently concluded Assembly session, even as legislators focused on increasing their salaries and allowances. It took exception to remarks by Bargarh MLA Ashwini Sarangi advising farmers to shift to diversified crops amid the ongoing procurement deadlock, terming the statement insensitive and reflective of the government’s failure to ensure assured paddy procurement.