Around 5,000 farmers in Odisha’s Bargarh ‘excluded from paddy registration’; launch protest

Nearly 5,000 farmers in Bargarh district have allegedly been excluded from the latest paddy registration process. The exclusion has sparked widespread concern among the local farming community, prompting them to demand immediate inclusion in government records.

Also Read: Tension erupts in Bargarh as farmers clash with police over paddy registration

The left-outs performed Manabasa Gurubar ritual as a token of protest on Thursday.

Farmers have been staging protests in front of the District Collector’s office for the past four days, pressing the administration to address their grievances. The protesters emphasise that their livelihoods largely depend on proper registration for paddy procurement, which is crucial for accessing government schemes and support.

The situation highlights the ongoing challenges in implementing agricultural registration programmes effectively, and officials are yet to announce any resolution. Human rights advocates have also called for prompt action to ensure the farmers’ rights are protected.

“I am a local farmer and I cultivate paddy. Several farmers, including me, have been deprived of registration. For not being a registered farmer, we are facing difficulties. Previously, we had also protested, but to no avail. When we secretly learnt that they (the administration) are going to conduct a DLPC (District Level Procurement Committee) meeting by sidelining us (the farmers), we started this protest,” an agitating farmer, Babrubahan Sahu, said to OTV.

“There are around 56 PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Society) in the Bargarh block. Nearly 5,000 farmers in the block have been excluded from the registration process for the last two and a half months. Despite running from pillar to post, our demands were not met. Our applications are with them. They are neither accepting the applications nor rejecting those. We will not leave this place, unless and until we receive the paddy procurement tokens. Protest will be intensified in the days ahead,” another local farmer expressed.

No comments were received from the authorities concerned in this regard.

Reported By: Dharmadatta Padhi