Kaptipada: Farmers are facing a lot of problems in getting paddy seeds from Shalachua LAMPS in Kaptipada block of Mayurbhanj district, as brokers are interfering with sales. This has led to a lot of resentment in the farming community.
Reports said Shalachua LAMPS was set up around 43 years ago to protect the interests of tribal farmers. However, it was shifted to Nuasahi Bazaar, about 10 km away from Shalachua, due to the conspiracy of some LAMPS officials, locals said.
Although the media had reported the matter, no action was taken. The result is that a new office building and a godown were built costing lakhs of rupees two years ago, but they are not being used.
About 70 per cent of the population here is tribal and dependent on agriculture. Nearly 40,000 people in the nine panchayats of Kalamgadia, Ramchandrapur, Padmapokhari, Dewanbahali, Majhigadia, Shalachua, Jadida and Badakhaladi depend on the LAMPS.
Every year, farmers are forced to resort to distress sales of paddy. Brokers buy paddy at throwaway prices. The brokers have now made themselves a part of the seeds sale by LAMPS.
People alleged that farmers don’t get seeds directly from the LAMPS. “Brokers collect the paddy seeds and sell it in villages at high prices,” said farmers Jugendra Rout, Bhagwat Jena, Rameswar Biswal, Santosh Nayak and Bijay Nanda.
Most of the tribal farmers are not aware of the benefits they are entitled to. They do not know about Kisan Credit cards, loan facilities and subsidies for purchasing fertilizer and seeds.
Locals also alleged that farmers from Kalamgadia, Ramchandrapur, Padmapokhari, Mankadapada, Dewanibahal and Majhigadia have to travel a long distance to the LAMPS office to sell paddy and buy seeds, fertilizer and to take loans.
MD of the LAMPS, Chittaranjan Jena, said the construction firm has handed over the building to the authorities and the office will be shifted back.
PNN
