Sambalpur: Even as the paddy procurement target set for the district has been achieved, hundreds of farmers are still spending sleepless nights at various market yards guarding the surplus consignment which runs into thousands of sacks.
The farmers are in distress as they are clueless on how to sell their surplus paddy. However, some of the farmers hope the administration would buy back their produce after discussions with the state government, it was learnt.
The procurement process had begun November 23 in Sambalpur division and November 28 in Kuchinda and Redhakhol divisions this kharif season. Though it has been a month since the opening of the market yards and the procurement target has been completed, the leftover paddy has raised several questions about the whole process.
It is now being suspected whether the paddy procured by the food and civil supplies department really belongs to the farmers in the first place.
According to reports, the state government had first directed the district administration to lift 22 lakh quintals of paddy from Sambalpur with the limit later being raised to 28 quintals. However, more than 37 lakh quintals of paddy have already been collected from nearly 24,000 farmers till Friday. Though the collection exceeds the target by nine lakh quintals, several quintals of paddy of hundreds of farmers are still lying unsold at various procurement centres raising questions over the intention of the department.
The farmers demanded a probe as to whose paddy really has been purchased by the department. If the paddy procured by the department belonged to the farmers, then it should also be explained why the department decided to procure less paddy this season despite a bumper harvest, the farmers said.
Nearly 9,923 sacks of paddy of several farmers are lying under the open sky in various market yards of Redhakhol and Kuchinda divisions. The farmers are seen protecting their consignment under extreme cold conditions hoping that the administration would take a decision soon to buy their crops, a report said. PNN
