Chikiti: Farmers have resorted to distress sale of paddy in 17 panchayats under this block in Ganjam district due to delay in opening of procurement centres, a report said Thursday.
They are worried as they have no option than to sell their paddy stocks at throwaway prices to middlemen and traders from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with no signs of opening of mandis emerging as yet.
The farmers are selling paddy to middlemen and traders for anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,050 per quintal, much below the minimum support price of Rs 1,550 as fixed by the government. The paddy stocks are being transported to Andhra Pradesh through Dabhar, Chandpur, Nuapada, Deokhali, Chikiti, Patrapur via Surangi day and night.
As a result, the middlemen and traders of Andhra Pradesh reap handsome profits while the farmers suffer.
The food supplies department had announced to procure paddy from farmers through 19 cooperative societies by opening 18 mandis from December 21, but not a single procurement centre has been opened as yet.
The Jagmohanpur services cooperative society opened a mandi at Olpur Square but closed it soon.
Lack of storage space has forced the farmers to spend sleepless nights guarding their harvest in the open during the harsh winter nights as the cooperative societies refused to procure their stocks.
The farmers suffered crop loss when pests attacked their cultivation. Later, a low pressure-triggered rainfall destroyed 70 per cent of their cultivation.
However, that did not deter them from carrying out cultivation as they harvested the paddy that survived the onslaught of pests and nature and were expecting to make some money by selling their stocks in the mandis.
Supplies inspector P Bhargabi said her department will sign an agreement with the millers within a week and then open the mandis. PNN
