BARGARH: While farmers of Bargarh district are on the verge of harvesting their kharif paddy, the inconclusive decision of the district administration regarding the beginning of the procurement process this season, at the District Level Procurement Committee (DLPC) meeting held on Friday, has triggered severe resentment among the farmers.
During the meeting, the district administration proposed the farmers to begin procurement from November 25 this year. On the contrary, the farmers demanded to start the process early, within the second week of November. Later, due to the difference in opinion, the district administration resolved to fix the date in the second meeting.
District collector, Monisha Banerjee said, though the procurement was started on November 21 last year, paddy started reaching the market yards only after November 25. “If we begin the procurement early and the farmers are not ready with their harvest, their token will lapse and they will face more inconvenience due to which we had proposed the date,” said Banerjee. The farmers want it to be started early but then different groups had varied opinions over the dates due to which the final decision was not taken in the meeting, she further informed adding, another meeting will be held shortly and a final call taken soon.
On the other hand, a farmer of Attabira, Birendra Kar said, “A majority of farmers will be ready for procurement by November 15. If the procurement is delayed beyond second week, we will face many problems as there is no storage space for paddy bags. Also there is risk of damage due to uncertain climatic condition.”
During the meeting, few farmers of Attabira also alleged during the meeting to have not received their previous dues from the past three years. Subsequently, the collector confronted the concerned officials and directed them to resolve the issue. Official sources informed that the farmers had not received their dues because of some discrepancies in the documents submitted by them.
This apart, discussion was also held over ensuring a hassle-free procurement. While Bargarh MP, Suresh Pujari and minister Rita Sahu, who were present at the meeting urged the district collector to ensure error-free procurement for the farmers, the farmer leaders requested installation of CCTV cameras at the procurement points.