Post News Network
Jeypore, Dec 8: Traffic on National Highway 26 here in Koraput district came to a grinding halt for three hours Monday as local farmers staged a road blockade to press for their demands. The protest also resulted in paddy procurement in mandis that opened in several parts of the district Wednesday also coming to a halt.
The farmers protested against the government guideline that mandates procurement of 12 quintal and 18 quintal paddy from farmers per an acre of non-irrigated and irrigated land, respectively. They demanded that the guidelines should be changed to procurement of 18 quintal and 20 quintal paddy per an acre of non-irrigated and irrigated land, respectively.
The other demands included abolition of e-pass system as there is much confusion over it, with farmers saying that paddy should be procured by checking their identity cards.
More than 200 farmers of several gram panchayats under Jeypore block congregated at the regulated market committee here before blocking the NH.
Senior administration officials tried to pacify the agitators by announcing that the procurement amount has been raised to 14 quintal and 20 quintal for irrigated and non-irrigated land, respectively, at a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar. However, the farmers were adamant that they would withdraw the stir only after their original demands were fulfilled.
The farmers later heeded the repeated requests of the officials and police personnel, including civil supplies officer Pitambar Acharya and sub-divisional police officer Rajendra Senapati.
They held a meeting at the protest site before withdrawing the road blockade and announced that they would intensify their agitation and block the highway throughout the district next Wednesday if all their demands are not met. The farmers plan to block the NH at Borigumma, Bariniput and Dangarchhinchi.
Meanwhile, farmers of Kundura block in the district have threatened to block roads to protest against the irregularities in the mandis.
They said that more than 20,000 quintals of paddy have piled up around the mandis over several days, but officials are yet to buy the produce.
Many farmers have started to sell the paddy to millers, their agents and local traders at very low prices to meet their needs.
