Jajpur: Allegations have surfaced that employees and managers at Barunei Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) in Jajpur’s Binjharpur block are involved in the illegal sale of subsidised fertilisers in the black market, causing significant losses to farmers.
It is worth mentioning here that the government has made arrangements for the supply of fertilisers to farmers at subsidised prices through PACS.
According to reports, fertilisers worth around `2 crore meant for the 2023-24 and 2024- 25 Kharif seasons were diverted and sold illegally, rather than being distributed to farmers.
In the previous Kharif season, under the MARKFED scheme, 4,210 quintals of fertiliser valued at `84.61 lakh were reportedly not delivered to PACS warehouses. Instead, those were allegedly sold in the black market. Farmers, including Ashok Kumar Sahu, Raja Malik, and others, had lodged complaints regarding the issue.
In response, the Odisha Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) had instructed a thorough investigation into the allegations and directed the Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies (DRCS) in Jajpur to take appropriate action and submit a detailed report.
Notably, the farmers of Korei, Dharmasala, Binjharpur, Dasarathpur, Bari and Barchana blocks in the district have a significant role in paddy cultivation. However, farmers in the district are facing a fertiliser shortage despite the government’s efforts to regulate sales. Though more than 20 dealers have been appointed for sale of fertilisers, and the government’s efforts to regulate its sales, the district continues to face a shortage due to the alleged inefficiency of state authorities. Allegations of illegal transfers of fertilisers, including urea, to districts such as Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, and Kendrapada have also emerged, where urea and other fertilisers are being sold without proper authorisation.
Companies such as IFfCO, Nagajurna, and PPL have entered into agreements with district administrations for distribution of fertilizers, especially urea which is necessary particularly for paddy and sugarcane crops in the Kharif season. Farmers from Barunei PACS have been forced to purchase fertilisers at inflated prices, leading to increasing debts. In October 2024, farmers staged a protest by locking the PACS office.
Though some farmers received small funds, many were left without assistance. There are also reports of intimidation against those who protested. The other allegations include the withholding of crop insurance payouts, forced signing of blank cheques by farmers, and demands for bribes in the distribution of agricultural loans. Despite multiple complaints to the district collector and RCS, no significant action has been taken, according to the farmers.
PNN