Jajpur: A proposed privatization of Sukinda Seeds Farm at Damodarpur under Sukinda block in this district by the state government has sparked job loss fear for over 600 labourers engaged in the farm, a report said. This has sparked resentment among the labourers.
The labourers demanding cancellation of the MoU has warned of a ‘Jan Satyagraha’ outside the state agriculture department in Bhubaneswar if their demands are not conceded, the report said.
The matter came to the fore after the labourers under the aegis of Sukinda Seeds Farm Shramika Sangha submitted a memorandum to the principal secretary of the agriculture department.
The seeds farm touted as the Asia’s largest seeds production centre was established in 1948 by the state government over 1,437 acres with an aim to provide quality seeds to the farmers of the state.
The farm was able to engage around 3,000 agricultural labourers in production of quality seeds. However, since 1990 the indifference of the state government and that of the bureaucrats deprives the workers here their bread and butter.
The labourers were pushed into distress after the state agricultural department and the Odisha Seeds Corporation jointly signed an MoU with the National Seeds Corporation (NSC) for privatization of the farm July 23, 2016.
As a result, the labourers who were dependent on the seeds farm for their bread and butter were pushed into darkness. The labourers alleged that the private agency managing the farm is trying to shift its responsibility.
They even did not spared public representatives who they claimed neglected their demands and warned to give them a befitting reply during coming elections.
Sources said the NSC instead of managing the farm after signing the MoU handed over the charge to a private agency.
The labourers have been without work for a long period as they could not match up with the target in producing pulses and oilseeds as fixed by the NSC after the MoU.
While the state government has signed an agreement to hand over 108.06 hectares, the NSC authorities have forcibly acquired the sal forest, all buildings and infrastructures coming under the seeds farm in connivance with influential persons.
The private agency allegedly has not even payed the minimum wages to labourers. It has even struck off their names from muster rolls and deprives them of employees provident funds (EPF).
It has even implicated the labour leaders in false cases when the labourers demanded regular work.
There was a time when over 3000 labourers used to produce quality seeds of paddy, green gram, oat, groundnut, horsegram, seasame, jute, mustard, pumpkin, tomato, maize and a variety of other seeds.
However, with the passage of time and due to government apathy, half the land of the farm is lying uncultivated. Things have come to such a pass that the state government is even learnt to have handed over part of its land for establishment of a private ITI.
This has resulted in shrinking of cultivable land and loss of jobs for 2500 labourers. Attempts to get the opinion of the seeds farm authorities did not yield results.
PNN