Chhatrapur: Even as hardly 10 days are left for the paddy procurement period to end in Ganjam, over four lakh quintals of harvested paddy are lying unsold on the farmlands of the district, a report said Sunday.
Reports said that the paddy procurement is scheduled to end February 28 but as per the registration made by the farmers, over four lakh quintals of paddy are lying on the farmlands without being sold in the mandis.
The district has been given a target to purchase 32 lakh quintals of paddy this year. Nearly 28,16,904 quintals of paddy from 59,658 farmers were purchased by 386 primary agricultural cooperative societies (PACS) Saturday
It is feared that the district administration might not be able to purchase the remaining stocks of paddy with hardly 10 days left for the procurement. The district administration, expressing concern over the development, has decided to urge the state government to increase the paddy procurement target for the district.
The matter came to the fore at an emergency meeting held at the district collectorate Sunday. Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange, presiding over the meeting, stressed on achieving the paddy procurement target by February 28. The collector also discussed with the supply and cooperative officials various problems they are encountering and their solutions during the meeting.
Kulange said that paddy will be procured from all the registered farmers. An estimate will be made on the paddy stocks lying on the farmlands and a letter will be written to the state government requesting to increase the paddy procurement target.
These issues will also be discussed at the meeting of the primary agricultural cooperative societies. The left out farmers will be contacted and efforts will be made to help them sell off their paddy stocks.
PNN