The Odisha Pradesh Kisan Congress on Saturday accused the State Government of making a mess of Kharif paddy procurement.
After a fact finding study across the western Odisha districts along with a team of farmer leaders, State president Amiya Kumar Patnaik alleged that due to a defective and delayed practice in paddy procurement, farmers are left with no option but to fall victim to mill owners’ whims.
As the Government is not procuring paddy, thousands of packets are left in Mandis, even quintals of paddy left damaged by untimely rain. Because of late purchase, tokens provided to farmers lapsed, said the team.
The 11- member Kissan Congress delegation led by Kantabanji MLA Santos Singh Saluja and Patnaik also alleged that in the name of quality, the exploitative Katani-Chatani system is going on and farmers are forced to sell their paddy on a bargained rate much below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Government.
"If the State Government fails to procurement Kharif paddy on a war footing basis, the farmers would give the ruling party a befitting reply in coming elections," Patnaik warned.
