Jharsuguda: Paddy procurement in this district is in disarray with not a single farmer turning up at market yards.
“We couldn’t purchase even a quintal of paddy in the district Friday,” said assistant registrar of cooperative societies (ARCS) Dukhia Tudu.
The farmers are learnt to have failed to sell their produce as they have not received the tokens which have been made mandatory for paddy procurement.
On the other hand, details of a farmer should be shown online for issuance of a token. But it is not showing due to a technical glitch which is why the tokens have not been issued, it was learnt.
Meanwhile, the met forecast for heavy rains coupled with stalemate at the mandis has left the farmers in the lurch.
The members of regulated market committee (RMC) and the secretary of PACS waited throughout the day at Badmal market yard but not a single farmer turned up to sell paddy. Though the paddy collection process started four days back in the district, the administration’s failure to pick up a single packet of paddy has become a matter of discussion in the district.
According to reports, Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) is essential to know the details of a farmer and update of data. Even as civil supplies officer (CSO) PDM Khosla claimed that the software has been uploaded in the computers, delay in issuance of tokens has baffled many farmers.
This software has not been uploaded in some PACS, it was learnt.
For example, 284 farmers had registered their names with Durlaga PACS. However, the information about only 180 farmers has been updated so far, the PACS secretary said.
The procurement process has been adversely affected due to lack of foresightedness on the part of the civil supplies department, the farmers alleged.
While the CSO claimed that the P-PAS has been updated, the ARCS said the details of the farmers are not shown in the system which has delayed issuance of tokens.
The contradiction has created confusion and many farmers demanded a probe to know the exact reason behind the absence of farmers at market yards. PNN
