JEYPORE: To curb export of paddy to neighbouring villages of Chhattisgarh, the Koraput administration has asked the police to be vigilant round-the-clock in the bordering areas. Sources said some unscrupulous persons purchase the paddy grown by small farmers of Kundra, Borigumma and Kotpad and export it to the neighbouring states at a much lesser price.
Since the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy in Chhattisgarh is Rs 2,650 per quintal, around `600 more than in Odisha, these traders purchase the paddy from the state’s farmers at a lesser price and sell it in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district to make quick bucks. Also, since the mandis are yet to be put up for the year, farmers prefer selling their paddy to these middlemen. Earlier Koraput Krushak Manch convenor Narendra Pradhan had also complained to the district administration.