Sundargarh/Keonjhar: Even as middlemen have been scuttling paddy procurement at some places in Sundargarh district by luring farmers into giving their paddy at below MSP, the district administration has initiated action and engaged a special squad to crack down on the middlemen.
In Keonjhar, tokens have been a problem for farmers in selling off their paddy with scores of them angrily awaiting their turn for procurement. In case of further delay in tokens, they think of selling their paddy to traders.
Reports from Sundargarh said, paddy procurement has started from November 23 at 134 procurement centres run by 47 cooperative societies under three marketing regulating committees.
But at many places, middlemen have been active and are buying paddy from farmers at low price. Acting on complaints in this regard, Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan directed the civil supplies department to crack down on such illegal paddy buying.
A special squad of the civil supplies department raided Tudalaga under Badagaon block Wednesday and seized 14 quintals of paddy from middlemen.
The Collector has made it clear that strong action will be taken on buying of paddy by middlemen. The crackdown on middlemen will continue, he added.
Reports from Keonjhar said, scores of farmers in Ghasipura area have applied for tokens at Khaliamenta cooperative society. They have harvested their paddy, but tokens have not been issued to them. “We have not received tokens for procurement. The officials concerned have not verified their land records as attached during the registration in August. We are in problem,” they lamented. 537 farmers were deprived of tokens due to technical reasons.
Sources in the department said the land of farmers was categorised as irrigated through lift irrigation, but in reality the lands are non-irrigated.
Assistant registrar of cooperative societies Pramod Bariha said such problems have arisen due to lack of coordination among the district civil supplies department, the cooperation department and the lift irrigation department.
On the other hand, farmers were surprised to learn about the reverse status of their land in registration records. “We have no irrigation points in the area. We have not even mentioned the lands as irrigated during the registration. How could this happen to us,” they wondered.
They are worried about preservation of their paddy when the area is haunted by elephant menace.
Many of them said inordinate delay in procurement will force them to sell the paddy to traders. They have taken up the issue with the district administration.
PNN