BHUBANESWAR | Saturday, November 28, 2009 | Email | Print | 
K’handi farmers upset over erratic paddy procurement
Bikash Khemka | Bhawanipatna
The erratic paddy procurement at many places in Kalahandi district has caused resentment among the farmers in the current kharif season. While the administration has framed many rules and regulations it has failed to curb the middlemen’s role.
The middlemen are directly sending the procurement to millers after purchasing paddy from the farmers. The RMC and administration had given contract to six millers to lift paddy from a society Mandal Samabaya Samiti in which the farmers of both Mandal and Mingur gram panchayats (GP) were supposed to sell their procurement.
Farmers of 15 villages belonging to these GPs have alleged that till now the millers have not lifted the procurement from the society and even the millers are not helping the society secretary in the matter.
The middlemen lift paddy from the farmers from their house at Rs 630 per 75 kg paddy and not paying the price of 8 kg of paddy in the name of FAQ. While the Government has fixed a minimum support price (MSP) of paddy, the lifting of paddy below MSP has irked the farmers. They have also urged the district administration to quickly intervene in the farmers’ interest. The administration had targeted to procure 3,82,352 MT of paddy from Kalahandi of which, about 2 lakh MT was targeted to be procured during kharif season.
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