BARGARH: From helping others in times of need to battling for his own, a small farmer from Bargarh has been pushed into crisis after delay in kharif paddy procurement left him without the means for medical treatment. For the past three days, Jhadeswar Patra of Bargarh district has been battling illness and financial distress after not receiving procurement tokens on time.
Patra, a resident of Ramkhol village under Ambabhona block, is popular for helping poor patients reach hospitals and for his plantation drives. Despite his modest means, he has been actively engaged in community service for years. However, he is now admitted to Veer Surendra Sai Insitute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR) Burla since April 15, reportedly unable to afford better treatment due to financial constraints.
During the last kharif season, Patra along with his wife Patra had cultivated paddy on around one hectare of his ancestral land and two acre of his father-in-law’s property. Subsequently, he had also completed registration at the local procurement PACS on August 25 last year, submitting all necessary documents for paddy sale. In the meantime, the farmer developed a sudden kidney ailment.
Hoping to receive the minimum support price of Rs 3,100 per quintal, the family waited for procurement tokens until the end of March. The delay, however, proved costly as the income which could have supported timely medical treatment, never came. Ultimately, with no token issued, the family was forced to sell nearly half of their produce in the open market at a distress price of around Rs 16 per kg. As his health deteriorated, the family had no option but to admit him to Burla medical college in the midst of a critical financial condition.
Farmer leader Ramesh Mahapatra, said Patra was among those farmers left out of the procurement process. “Like every year, he harvested around 60 quintals of paddy but did not receive a single token till the very end. Unfortunately, he was forced to
resort to distress sale of half his produce, while a significant portion still remains unsold when he was battling illness.”
The situation is further aggravated for the family as Patra’s younger brother is paralysed and bedridden. Bargarh district collector Aditya Goyal could not be reached for comments on the matter.