BARGARH: A day ahead of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s visit to the district to announce disbursal of input subsidy of Rs 800 for paddy, farmers on Saturday staged dharna at Gandhi Chowk in Bargarh town to draw attention of the state government towards the issues affecting the procurement process in the region.
Wearing black badges as a mark of protest, farmers under the banner of Jay Kisan Andolan, began the sit-in protest which continued for hours. Raising the slogan, ‘Chaasi Kula Jawab Maage, Mukhyamantri Jawab Diya’, farmers alleged the autocracy of millers and middlemen was still prevalent in several mandis of the district.
“Contrary to the claims of the state government, we are still facing deductions and this exploitation is due to use of grain analyser machine which is rejecting most paddy as non-fair average quality (non-FAQ),” they alleged further claiming that the new system has generated fear among the farmers besides helping millers to loot.
They wanted to know why the grain analyser machines were introduced in the state. The farmers further asked why the capacity of district level procurement committee (DLPC) was withdrawn and decision-making power regarding token issues and paddy procurement centralised. They also demanded an answer on why the government, rather than supplying gunny bags itself, left it upon the millers.
The farmers further demanded that the government take steps to implement the Chhattisgarh model of paddy procurement in Odisha.
Senior farmer leader Siba Prasad Pradhan, Jay Kisan Andolan district president Sushil Kumar Sahu, general secretaries Hara Baniya and Arun Kumar Sahu, Bheden block president Maheshwar Pradhan, among others were present.