Illegal Transportation Of Paddy: Two Paddy-laden Trucks Seized In Nabarangpur

Nabarangpur: The stalemate over paddy procurement in Odisha under the current Kharif season has turned into a blessing for middlemen as they have now reportedly started transporting paddy to neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh after procuring it from farmers at a lower price.

Such illegal activities have come to fore in Nabarangpur district with the seizure of two paddy-laden trucks on Friday. The district civil supplies department, after being tipped off, carried out raids at Majhiguda and seized two truckloads of paddy while it was being illegally transported to the neighbouring states.

According to sources, one truck was loaded with 300 quintals of paddy while another truck was carrying 247 quintals of paddy. The paddy was reportedly procured by Sarkar Traders of UV-14 under Jamrunda block in Umerkote area.

“The paddy was procured by Sarkar Traders of UV-14 in Umarkote. We examined the documents. As per the invoices, it is learnt that the paddy was procured at Rs 1614 per quintal,” said Nabarangpur Assistant Civil Supplies Officer (ACSO), Manoj Das.