BHUBANESWAR : Amid complaints of massive mismanagement of paddy procurement operations, the state government on Sunday said the validity period of expired tokens for paddy sale will be extended by 15 days to facilitate smoother transactions and ensure that no genuine farmer is left out.
Acknowledging that paddy procurement has slowed in some parts of the state due to delays in lifting the stock from mandis by rice millers, who are facing acute storage constraints, Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta said it was primarily caused by twin factors: delay in evacuation of custom milled rice (CMR) by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the continuous influx of freshly harvested paddy at mandis.
“In certain areas, procurement has become slow because rice millers are unable to lift paddy from mandis on time. Their godowns are under pressure as evacuation of CMR by FCI has been delayed, while fresh paddy is simultaneously arriving in large quantities,” he explained.
He, however, said that the district collectors have been directed to extend the validity period of all expired tokens by 15 days to facilitate farmers to sell their paddy under support price system. Asserting that the paddy procurement is being carried out smoothly, the minister said some “fake farmers” and a section of large cultivators are attempting to discredit the government by raising objections.
Speaking to mediapersons, Samanta said those leading protests over paddy procurement are not genuine farmers. Many of those protesting over alleged mismanagament are big farmers who had sold large quantities of paddy in the previous year. “Some farmers had sold up to 500 quintals last year. This year, due to the cap of 150 quintals, they are facing inconvenience and hence protesting,” he said, defending the procurement norms put in place to ensure equitable distribution of benefits.
Rejecting allegations of mismanagement, Samanta said attempts were being made to malign the government. “Fake farmers who have shown gochar, anabadi and government land as agricultural land are trying to defame the government, but will not succeed. Paddy from all registered farmers will be lifted,” he asserted.
The minister’s remarks come amid protests by some farmer groups over procurement caps and lifting delays, even as the government maintains that the system is designed to prevent misuse and ensure that MSP benefits reach small and genuine farmers. The BJD had staged a protest a couple of days ago in Bargarh district highlighting delays in token distribution, deductions of paddy at mandis, pending payments and distress sales.