BHAWANIPATNA:THE procurement of paddy crop for the current kharif season will start from November 1 in Kalahandi district. This was decided at a district-level procurement committee meeting chaired by Kalahandi Collector Anjan Kumar Manik here recently. Sources said that the Kalahandi district administration is ready for ensuing kharif paddy procurement and has been waiting for the target to be set by the State Government.
The district administration has also decided to conduct the procurement in a systematic manner and to make the process farmer-friendly. Moreover, the administration has decided to check harassment of farmers and prevent distress sale of paddy during the season.
According to an Agriculture department report, paddy was grown over 1,92,892 hectares in the current season. The tentative production has been estimated to be 5,87,714 tonnes.“As on October 16, around 47,933 farmers have registered themselves for online procurement. Paddy will be procured by 74 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies ( PACS) at 150 paddy purchasing centres. Of these, 39 PACS will procure paddy in Dharamgarh sub-division through 91 paddy purchasing centres and 35 PACS will procure paddy in Bhawanipatna sub-division through 59 paddy purchasing centres,” official sources said.
Regulated Marketing Committees (RMCs) and PACS will provide the required infrastructure facilities to the farmers in the paddy purchasing centres, including temporary storage space, resting sheds, tarpaulin and polythene sheets to cover purchased paddy and drinking water facilities, sources added. The facilities will be made available before the commencement of procurement process.
“There will be a monitoring team and nodal officers for each of the paddy purchasing centres. District-level control rooms will run round-the-clock in the supply office and the district-level squad will be constituted for proper supervision and monitoring of the paddy procurement process,” sources added.
“Steps will be taken by RMC and PACS in the purchasing centre jurisdictions to sensitise farmers on adequate publicity. No one will be entertained to sabotage the procurement process. There will be no place for middlemen. Strict action will be taken against any official, miller and PACS who deviate from the policy of procurement in the district and disturb the process,” the Collector warned.
The meeting was attended by Civil Supply department officials, Cooperatives, Agriculture, RMC representatives, farmers and miller representatives, Zilla Parishad Chairman Namita Sahu, MLA of Bhawanipatna, Anama Naik, and Junagarh MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra.
Action Plan
Regulated Marketing Committees (RMCs) and PACS will provide facilities, including temporary storage space, resting sheds, tarpaulin and polythene sheets and drinking water to farmers at the purchasing centres. There will be a monitoring team and nodal officers for each of the paddy purchasing centres. District-level control rooms will run round-the-clock in the supply office. A district-level squad will be constituted for proper supervision and monitoring of the paddy procurement process, sources said.