BARGARH: Shortage of labourers amid the coronavirus pandemic has dealt a hard blow to rabi paddy procurement in Bargarh, known as Odisha’s rice bowl. Farmers are a worried lot as the labour crunch has affected loading and unloading of paddy in market yards and rice mills in the district.
With monsoons round the corner, their worries have compounded as chances of damage to paddy stock kept in the open are high.
Official sources said around three lakh quintal paddy is lying idle in the mandis and paddy purchase centres (PPC) as farm labourers do not turn up in fear of contracting the virus. On Wednesday, farmers staged a demonstration at the Collectorate over non-procurement of paddy from the PPC at Salepali village under Bheden block.
“Only 8,000 out of 43,000 bags of paddy have been procured while the remaining are lying in the open at the centre,” alleged the aggrieved farmers.
Confirming that labour shortage has hit the procurement process, Assistant Civil Supplies Officer of Bargarh Durga Charan Basera said most workers are reluctant to work with the health scare looming large. However, paddy of all registered farmers will be procured, he assured.
The Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare department has set a target to procure 57 lakh quintal paddy during rabi sale, of which 41 lakh quintal has been procured till now.