Farmers lose Rs 10-20 crore due to distress sale in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR: Farmers of Ganjam district lose Rs 10-20 crore every year due to distress sale of paddy and irregularities during purchasing of paddy, alleged the Rushikulya Ryot Mahasabha (RRM) and the Chasi Surakhya Abhiyan (CSA) here on Sunday.

In a Press release, CSA members said the State Government is yet to open paddy procurement cells (Mandi) in many places in Ganjam district. Around 80 per cent farmers of the district, who belong to sharecropper and small farmer category, face problems while selling paddy in the mandi as they have many restrictions. As a result, the poor farmers sell their paddy to the middlemen with Rs 200-250 less per quintal, they added.

“The paddy procurement committee at the panchayat level is a farce,” said CSA’s district convener Ravi Rath, adding, “There is a nexus between society secretaries, supply officer, officials of district administration, RMC officials and middlemen for which the poor farmers are suffering a lot.”

Rath alleged that the farmers are giving extra 2-7 kg more in a quintal as the mill owners convince the farmers by citing the reason of FAQ standard, though the paddy of the district was proved as it fulfill the necessary standard. The farmers are not getting their payment within seven days of paddy procurement, he alleged.

On January 19, a meeting was held between the district supply officials and mill owners at the District Magistrate’s conference hall on paddy procurement where mill owners were told to purchase paddy from anywhere in the district, but the district supply officers are not following the order for which reason the paddy could not purchased, said the RRM members.

“Stop anti-farmer policy and give Rs 1250 per quintal paddy without creating problems. If the Government doesn’t pay attention to our demands, we would take the matter to streets,” said the members of the RRM and CSA.