Berhampur: Alleged negligence on the part of cooperative and civil supply officials has left more than 3,000 genuine farmers in Ganjam district deprived of selling their paddy during the current procurement season.
According to reports, around 1.56 lakh farmers had registered for paddy procurement in the district this year, out of which approximately 1.52 lakh were able to sell their produce. However, over 3,000 farmers failed to receive procurement tokens, reportedly due to errors in registration and administrative lapses.
Farmers alleged that while paddy harvesting is usually completed by November, a hurried satellite survey conducted in December by a private agency incorrectly marked several cultivated lands as non-paddy fields.
This resulted in the denial of tokens to genuine farmers without any ground verification or consultation. As per the standard procedure, farmer registration is carried out during June and July through societies and women’s self-help groups.
Subsequently, agriculture extension workers and revenue officials physically verify the fields and certify paddy cultivation. Despite this multi-level verification, authorities reportedly relied on the private agency’s survey report, leading to the exclusion of many eligible farmers.
Affected farmers repeatedly approached supply and cooperative officials regarding the non-issuance of tokens, but no corrective action was taken. The Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha submitted memorandums to the District Collector and the Chief Minister, demanding the procurement of paddy from the affected farmers.
