Krushnaprasad: Groundnut farmers in Krushnaprasad block of Puri district resorted to distress sale of their produce in the absence of a procurement system in the block, reports said.
The agriculture department is reportedly sitting idle while the produce has been harvested and is lying without being sold. Farmers lamented that the officials were not paying any heed to the farmers even after repeated demands to procure the harvest.
A similar situation had prevailed with the supply of seeds, the farmers said, adding that they had to run from pillar to post in order to procure the seeds. Besides, they are provided with low quality seeds most of the time, they said. Farmers claimed several quintals of groundnuts were lying at their disposal without getting sold in time.
This has resulted in heavy losses for farmers who had bought the seeds for Rs 84/kg. Some farmers claimed that their groundnuts were already infested by pests and rodents after sitting in large heaps for months together.
Most of the farmers belonged to Malud, Balarampur Mundabar, Brajakot, Badajhad, Titip, Gumundia, Patapur, Morada and Siandi villages under Krushnaprasad block. There might be more than hundred farmers in these village with several quintals of groundnut left unsold in their houses, according to sources.
Despite repeated claims and demands, no one is bothered about our plight, farmers said. We are unable to repay our loans as we can’t sell the groundnuts, said the farmers adding that most of them did not even have enough money to run their families. Adding to their woes, the loan amount goes on increasing every month with banks and private money-lenders forcing them to pay instalments in time.
With the government yet to take any step, the famers are forced to sell the produce to traders for throwaway prices. Earlier, the traders paid Rs 50/kg but they too backed off after the government set Rs 42/kg as the buying price, adding to the problems of the farmers.
The procurement process was carried out only for a couple of days, the farmers complained. Taking advantage of the short window, the traders have started buying it for Rs 35-40/kg which is too low for farmers who have toiled day and night for a good produce and are undergoing severe loan burden.
When contacted, the cooperative society officials said they were not given any directions to carry out procurement in the block. This has only increased the stress being faced by many farmers who are on the verge of taking the extreme step. If at all a farmer commits suicide under pressure, the government would be held responsible, the farmers warned. PNN
