TV
Farmers in Jharsuguda district’s Lakhanpur block are facing growing anxiety as thousands of quintals of harvested paddy lie unsold at mandis. Despite registration and token allocation, no sale targets have been assigned, and ongoing rains are further damaging their unsold produce, sources said on Friday.
Also Read: Lapses in paddy procurement in mandis to invite stringent action: Odisha Minister
According to sources, paddy farmers in Badadhara and Kusumel villages, coming under Kanaktora Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) in Lakhanpur block, are deeply concerned as their harvested paddy remains unsold at mandis. Over 5,000 quintals of paddy are lying in open yards without procurement, raising fears of heavy financial losses.
Ten days are left now for procurement
Although the registration process for paddy procurement has been completed and many farmers have already received their procurement tokens, they have not been allotted any official Rabi paddy sale targets. This administrative gap has left farmers confused and frustrated.
To make matters worse, continuous light rainfall has soaked hundreds of paddy sacks, leading to fears of spoilage and rejection.
Affected farmers have now lodged written complaints with the District Collector Aboli Sunil Naravane, demanding immediate intervention and allocation of sale quotas. They are urging authorities to take urgent steps before more of the harvest is damaged or rendered unfit for procurement.
This crisis reflects broader issues in procurement planning, with farmers bearing the brunt of bureaucratic lapses.
“Permission was earlier accorded to procure Rabi paddy from at least 796 farmers belonging to Hirakud Budi Anchal (riparian region of the reservoir), this year. This was a welcome step. Around 74 farmer members of Kanaktora PACS had cultivated paddy in nearly 218 acres of farmland. On some pretext, their produce has not been procured. Ten days are left now, and there is no certainty of it,” some farmers said to OTV.
