BERHAMPUR: All possible measures should be taken to support farmers during paddy procurement in Ganjam, said Collector Vijay Amrut Kulange at a virtual review meeting here on Sunday. Addressing all authorities concerned, he directed them to plug the loopholes in the process and ensure that all the payments are credited to the accounts of registered farmers who sold their paddy, within 48 hours of procurement. Kulange also asked the sub-collectors and tehsildars to monitor the pace of procurement in various blocks.
Secretary of Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha (RRM) Simanchal Nahak welcomed the Collector’s directive and said it is a timely decision but there is no mention about share-croppers and the standards for paddy procurement.
Seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention, Nahak said, over two lakh sharecroppers are in the district but none of them has registered in the farmers’ list. In the current season, paddy crops first suffered due to scarcity of irrigation water and then the untimely rains during November and December but farmers haven’t received any compensation yet.
Farmers also repeatedly appealed the administration to relax the standard of paddy during procurement but so far, no decision has been taken. Around 30 per cent paddy crops are yet to be harvested and were affected in the rains last week but the administration is silent over the matter, he alleged.
For the current season, the district administration has set up 460 paddy procurement centres (PPC) in 22 blocks and engaged 367 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), 101 women-led self-help groups (WSHG) and one pani panchayat for the purpose. Civil Supplies officer Puspa Munda informed that as of now, 391 PPCs have opened and the rest will be functional soon. Until January 15, 4.06 lakh quintal paddy has been collected. Paddy procurement started in the district on December 29.