TV
A recurring issue between farmers and rice millers over paddy procurement in Odisha has resulted in a reluctant agreement. Farmers had been demanding fair compensation for their harvest, while millers allegedly continued the practice of deducting between four and five kilograms per quintal during procurement in various mandis.
Faced with mountains of harvested paddy awaiting processing, farmers had little choice but to engage in negotiations. Meanwhile, the administration has issued strict orders to use words like ‘mutual agreements between the farmers and the millers’ instead of ‘katni chhatni’ as the traditional practice persists.
Many farmers, waiting in uncertainty with their unsold paddy remaining vulnerable at market yards, were forced to make mutual agreements with the millers.
“We have no alternative but to have mutual agreements with the millers to sell or produces,” said Sanatan Sae, a farmer in Bolangir.
Making things worse, farmers have paid 14 to 15 rupees per polythene sack to pack their produce and bring those to the mandis.
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However, they now have to make additional expenses as rice millers are forcing upon them that they will buy paddy in jute sacks.
Meanwhile, supply officials are saying that everything is proceeding through consensus, rather than forced deductions. Moreover, farmers continue to feel new logistical challenges, as switching to jute bags will add further transport and labour costs.
While as many as 176 mandis were opened across Bolangir district, only three analytical machines and seven to eight paddy cleaners were deployed, proving insufficient for timely paddy processing.
“With mutual agreement between the farmers and the millers, paddy is being procured. As we don’t have analyser machines in all the mandis, the work is being done manually causing a little problem in the paddy procurement process,” said Bolangir District Chief Supply Officer Benudhar Panigrahi.
Efforts to resolve the issue have been only partially successful, with local administrators claiming that adequate facilities are in place.
“We have provided all kinds of facilities at the mandis to facilitate the paddy procurement process,” said Bolangir Collector Gaurav Shivaji Isalwar
In contrast, the Food Supply Minister’s request for farmers not to bring low-quality paddy to market highlights ongoing struggles in achieving a fair and consistent solution.
Despite agreements reached, farmers remain cautious about how their produce will be assessed, particularly concerning the Average Fair Quality (FAQ) evaluations, continuing the tension into the harvest season.
