THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a potential pre-election masterstroke to woo the state’s agrarian community, the BJP state leadership has been pushing for direct procurement of paddy by the Centre. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday met Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and submitted a detailed report outlining the challenges faced by paddy farmers in Kerala.
In August, the BJP had constituted a panel of senior leaders to study the ground realities faced by paddy cultivators. It also launched a farmer-centric platform - Kerala Samyuktha Karshaka Vedhi - to engage with agricultural organisations across districts such as Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kuttanad, and other places. Based on these interactions, sources said that the party compiled a comprehensive report highlighting key issues, including delayed payments, procurement lapses, and poor state-level support.
“Both the Congress and the Left have failed to address the concerns of paddy farmers,” a senior BJP leader said. “Many farmers are yet to receive timely payments, and procurement inefficiencies are rampant. We’ve urged the Centre to ensure direct procurement so that farmers get fair prices and prompt payments.”
Sources said the BJP, in its report to the Centre, has requested it to undertake direct paddy procurement in Kerala, as is the system followed in Punjab, Haryana, and a few other states. “There are two types of procurement - centralized and decentralized. Kerala currently follows the decentralized model, where a memorandum of understanding (MoU) exists between the Centre and the state.
As per this arrangement, farmers are supposed to receive payment within 48 hours of procurement. However, this is not being implemented effectively in Kerala. Instead, Supplyco issues a Paddy Receipt Slip, and farmers often have to wait over two months to get their payment.
Therefore, the BJP team has suggested introducing a parallel centralised procurement system, allowing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to directly handle paddy procurement in the state,” the source added.
Party insiders revealed that the state unit is also preparing to raise the human-animal conflict issue with the Union government, describing it as another major concern for rural communities.
“In our door-to-door campaigns, we promise development rooted in farmers’ welfare,” another BJP leader said. “We have formed a committee to assess agricultural issues. Both the LDF and UDF have neglected the farming sector for years. There are also plans to launch mass campaigns highlighting the failures of the Left government.”
