SAMBALPUR: Resentment is brewing among farmers of Kuchinda over the tardy pace of paddy procurement in the sub-division. Procurement of paddy in Kuchinda commenced from December 2, around 10 days after the process started in Sambalpur sub-division.
Farmer leader and convenor of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSSS) Ashok Pradhan said though farmers of Kuchinda have got a good yield this year, the slow pace of procurement has left them in the lurch.
“There are many market yards in the sub-division, but these are not being opened for days together. On an average, a market yard is being opened for only one day in a week. While a farmer is allowed to sell 75 quintal paddy with one token, those with multiple tokens are being made to wait for weeks to sell their produce. The procurement process will pick up pace if the market yards are opened for at least 2-3 days in a week,” he said.
Pradhan claimed that many farmers have already dumped their paddy at the market yards. They fear their produce will be damaged in the open. The market yards don’t have proper infrastructure to store paddy. Besides, there is a possibility of the paddy being destroyed by elephants in Kuchinda.
“Braving the biting cold weather, some farmers are guarding their harvested crops in the night. Since the market yards are located at remote locations in the sub-division, the millers do not go there to lift paddy. Instead, they engage agents to do the job. This not only leads to exploitation of farmers but also delays the procurement process,” he added.
Sources said as of now, around 30,000 bags of paddy are yet to be lifted from market yards across the sub-division. While civil supplies officer Ram Chandra Tudu could not be contacted despite several attempts, Sambalpur collector Ananya Das refuted the allegations and said, “Procurement is progressing smoothly in Kuchinda and paddy is being lifted from market yards on time. The stacking of paddy is very less compared to previous seasons and there are no discrepancies.” Till Monday, around 11,48,852.80 quintal of paddy has already been procured from farmers of the district, Das added.