Paddy procurement starts in Ganjam

Berhampur: About a week later than last year, the procurement of paddy has started in Ganjam district.
While purchasing centres have been set up in almost all 22 block head headquarters for the purpose, the district level paddy procurement committee decided to open the centers in all 475 panchayats, district civil supply officer PDM Khusla said.
Initially we have opened purchase centres in all the block headquarters and in a week, the centres will be opened in each gram panchayat to help the small and marginal farmers and ensure minimum support price (MSP) to peasants, he added.
The district has set procurement traget of 1.93 lakh metric tones of rice during this year through different agencies as against last year’s achievement of 1.97 lakh metric tonnes.
However, several farmers’ organisations alleged that the farmers in the district have already made distress sale of paddy to the mill owners of Andhra Pradesh due to delay in opening of the purchase centre.
The Rushikulya Raita Mahasabha and the CPI(M)-backed Krushak Sabha, district unit have launched agitation for opening up of the purchase centres soon to arrest the distress sale of paddy.
Businessmen from Andhra allegedly procured the paddy from the farmers in border blocks Chikiti, Patrapur, Digapahandi through the middleman.
Several tons of paddy have already been purchased by Andhra Pradesh traders in lower rate from the district due to delay in opening of purchasing centres, a farmer leader Simanchal Nayak alleged.
While admitting some people from Andhra purchased paddy from Ganjam farmers, the district CSO, however, denied the purchase was made at low rates.
It’s true they purchase some paddy, but not at the throwaway price, the CSO said.
He also denied the procurement was delayed in the district.
The farmers in the district are still harvesting the paddy and there was not much delay to procure the food grain in the district, Khusal said.
The district administration has also appointed 352 millers to process the paddy.
The state government has decided to give an incentive bonus of Rs 50 per quintal over and above the MSP of the paddy to the farmers.
The MSP of common and grade-A paddy was fixed at Rs 950 and Rs 980 respectively.
The procurement agencies would make payment of cost of paddy by account payee cheque or on-line through electronic transfers only.