BARGARH: Worried over unseasonal rainfall and lack of storage facilities at mandis, farmers of Bargarh on Monday submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking his immediate intervention to address the situation.
The farmers under the aegis of Sanjukta Krushak Sangathan submitted the memorandum to additional district magistrate Madhuchhanda Sahu alleging that thousands of quintals of harvested paddy are lying unsold in the open at mandis due to sluggish pace of procurement.
The situation has worsened due to forecast of more rainfall. Amid the delay in procurement, farmers fear the rains will destroy their produce before it is lifted, they said.
They further said so far, 66,773 farmers have sold 44.52 lakh quintal of rabi paddy in Bargarh while 24,223 farmers are still waiting for their turn to sell their produce. Unseasonal rains have already damaged a significant quantity of paddy, and the remaining stock is at risk due to inadequate storage facilities at mandis.
“The state government should start procurement of the remaining paddy stock on a war-footing and issue notification directing farmers to bring their harvested produce to mandis with assurances of safe storage. Besides, the rain-affected paddy should be procured at the minimum support price (MSP) after proper quality checks,” they said.
The farmers also demanded strict measures to eliminate the role of middlemen at mandis and prompt lifting of paddy by authorised rice mills.
Advisor of the Sangathan Ramesh Mahapatra claimed around 11 lakh bags of paddy are yet to be lifted at various mandis across the district with the highest concentration in Barpali block. “If the current weather conditions persist for another two days, an additional 5-10 per cent of the harvested crop would be lost. The district administration must act immediately as any further delay will be disastrous for farmers,” he said.
The farmer outfit warned of intensifying protest if the delay in paddy procurement persists.