BHUBANESWAR : In a major relief for farmers waiting to sell their rabi paddy under the minimum support price (MSP), the state government assured of purchasing all stocks from those with tokens beyond the official deadline, which expired on Monday.
The announcement was made by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra following protests by farmers of different districts over the alleged non-lifting of their stock by functionaries of the mandis (paddy purchase centres) despite having valid tokens.
“Farmers with tokens, irrespective of their validity, are advised to undergo iris scan in respective mandis today (Monday) to secure their biometric verification for future sale of their paddy. The government is fully committed to ensure that none of the registered farmers are affected,” Patra told reporters here.
Regarding the lapsed tokens, the minister asserted that no token will be allowed to lapse until all paddy is procured. “As June 30 is the last date for rabi paddy procurement, they are only required to scan their iris to secure a slot. Suitable dates will be allotted to them for selling their paddy,” he added.
Patra further said that the space constraints in the mandis to store paddy became more acute because of the rains and the delay in lifting of the stocks by rice millers also happened because of a similar reason.
“We have exceeded the rabi target by procuring 19 lakh tonne of paddy as against 12 lakh tonne procured during the same period last year. This shows the significant growth in paddy production in the state and the transparent policy of the government in paddy procurement,” the minister said.
Notwithstanding the minister’s assurance, farmers of Balasore district staged a road blockade on NH-16 demanding immediate procurement of their paddy. Reports from Bargarh district said paddy stored in the open near mandis have started germinating after being exposed to rains. Affected farmers have urged the government to pay the MSP cost as they have valid tokens.