Sambalpur: Normal life was affected in Odisha’s Sambalpur district Friday due to a dawn-to-dusk bandh called by farmers demanding speedy procurement of paddy.
The bandh, called by ‘Sambalpur Zilla Krushak Surakhya Sangathan’, the apex body of farmers in the district, passed off peacefully as no untoward incident was reported, police said.
Groups of farmers visited different government offices with folded hands and sought the support of officials.
“People at large and the officials in particular have been very cooperative and supportive of our cause,” Prafulla Swain, an agitating farmer, claimed.
Government and private offices, banks and financial institutions, shops, markets, malls and showrooms remained closed due to the bandh.
The farmers were also seen picketing peacefully at several locations across the city.
Vehicular movement and emergency services, however, were exempted from the purview of the bandh.
The impact of the bandh was felt in the rural areas of the district as well. However, national highways and railway services were kept outside the purview of the bandh, and no blockade was staged.
Co-convener of the Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSS), Ashok Pradhan, said the bandh received a spontaneous response.
“More than 50 social organisations of Sambalpur extended support to the bandh,” he said.
Pradhan warned that if the government failed to fulfill their demands, the farmers’ organisations would decide on their further course of action.
The agitators demanded a permanent solution to issues related to paddy procurement. Although paddy procurement began November 28, they alleged that many farmers were yet to receive tokens to sell their produce at government market yards.
Meanwhile, District Collector Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar visited several paddy procurement centres (PPCs) across the district Thursday.
He reviewed the ongoing Kharif paddy procurement operations and assessed the functioning of the mandis.
Officials claimed that Sambalpur district has recorded improvement in procurement during the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025-26 as compared to the previous year.
The number of registered farmers increased from 60,359 in KMS 2024-25 to 65,143 this season.
As of December 18, procurement during KMS 2025-26 covered 20,809 farmers with 9,61,560.6 quintals of paddy procured, compared to 14,896 farmers and procurement of 8,86,190 quintals during the corresponding period last year.
Under the token-based system, 73,437 tokens have been issued so far this season, against 74,786 tokens during the previous year, the official added.
A token is a number issued to a farmer by the government to sell his produce at the state-run mandis.
PTI
