SAMBALPUR: A week after procurement mandis opened in Bargarh district, paddy lifting has barely progressed. The initial delay caused by pending agreements with millers has now been compounded by an acute shortage of procurement tokens, triggering concerns among farmers.
Farmer leader and Sanjukta Krushak Sangathan (SKS) advisor Ramesh Mahapatra said only about 30 per cent of registered farmers have received tokens so far. “Even those who received tokens have been allotted dates post-December 15, and the approved quantity is much lower than their harvested stock,” he said.
Farmers who have already deposited their paddy bags at mandis are now uncertain about when procurement will begin. Mandis in Attabira, Kalapani and Godbhaga reportedly have more than 50,000 bags lying under the open sky, worsening farmers’ concerns.
Although the government has fixed procurement at 19 quintals per acre, farmers allege that the tokens issued do not match this scale. As a result, freshly harvested paddy continues to lie in the open, heightening fears of a distress sale.
Mahapatra said, “The token verification is progressing at a snail’s pace, further slowing down procurement. Moreover, the technical glitches in the P-PAS system also remain unresolved.”
The crisis is acute in Padmapur subdivision, where 54 of the 92 mandis have yet to receive paddy due to delayed token issuance. Official estimates indicate that 53,543 bags of paddy are currently lying unattended across 38 mandis in the subdivision.
Farmers say the absence of tokens has forced them into repeated visits to Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), only to return without answers. Calls to the state Agriculture helpline have also failed to provide clarity, fuelling resentment on the ground. Farmers have warned of agitation if the situation is not resolved by Monday.