BINKA (SONEPUR ): Hundreds of farmers of Binka blocked Binka-Rampur road here as part of bandh called by them against the online paddy procurement process on Wednesday.
The vehicles remained off the road and business establishments and educational institutions were closed during the bandh. Aggrieved farmers also blocked Binka-Turum-Godbhaga road at Sindurpur and Binka-Rampur road at Singhijuba over the issue. Their demands included opening of market yard at right time, providing CAP storage and ensuring minimum support price.
Although Sub-Collector Surya Narayan Das and Tehsildar Lambodhar Dash rushed to spot and talked to the farmers to call off the agitation, the latter did not relent. After consultation with the Collector, the officials assured the farmers that the procurement in Binka market yard would be raised to 2000 quintals while PACS will procure 700 quintals against 500 quintals.
They also promised to correct the errors in data for online registration of farmers.
Farmers Gherao Ministers
Koraput: The farmers, who have been agitating to press their demand for raising the paddy procurement limit set by the Government for past few days, on Tuesday gheraoed SC and ST Development Minister Lal Bihari Himirika, Minister of State for Energy Pranab Prakash Das and Koraput MP Jhina Hikaka outside the Circuit House. The agitating farmers told the Ministers, who were here to attend Parab festival, that they would intensify the agitation if their demands are not fulfilled. The farmers have been demanding that maximum procurement limit from non-irrigated land should be raised from 14 quintals per acre to 20 quintals. They alleged that the procurement target was brought down on the initiative of the district administration to favour the outside traders as it would force the farmers to go for distress sale. Both the Ministers and the MP pacified the farmers and assured them that they would take up the matter with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik within two days. However, the agitation continued on Wednesday with farmers sticking to their ground by not selling their produce.