While maize production has crossed more than 6 lakh tones in the district of Nabarangapur, farmers are facing the problem of plenty as they are not able to sell their products with market price falling down much to their chagrin.
large numbers of farmers in major maize growing areas of the district are facing a tough time as they are forced to sell their products much less than the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
While MSP for maize is Rs 1,425 per quintal, they are forced to sell at Rs1,000 per quintal incurring heavy loss in the process, said sources.
The farmers also came up to Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi urging him to redress their grievance.
It may be mentioned here that Sethi has been assigned this tribal and backward district and recently he visited its interior pockets to get a firsthand report on the state of affairs there.
During his visit to far flung village of Butiguda, a farmer complained that after producing over 250 quintals of maize, he is not being able to find a buyer who can give him MSP.
He said he had spent more than Rs 2 lakh and was facing a tough time as maize being a perishable product would be damaged soon and he would lose heavily.
While nearly 60,000 hectares of area is utilized for cultivation of maize in the district, production is over 6 lakh tons, said a senior official of the district.
Due to favourable agricultural ecosystem, large tracts of arable areas in Nabarangpur district are used for maize production.
Sources familiar with maize cultivation in this district said that the farmers are heavily borrowing from money lenders as the commercial banks are not extending them lending support.
left in the lurch, the farmers are facing double jeopardy with the money lenders pressing them hard for repayment and market not offering enough buyers for the produce.
It may be mentioned here that with direct intervention of the Department of Agriculture, the farmers had turned to maize production leaving behind the traditional paddy cropping. As a result, the production of the commercial crop has gone up substantially.
Even as the consumption in the household level is low, in hilly regions, maize is a major food security item. The farmers prefer selling away their products in the market as it is a commercial crop, but much to their chagrin, there is a glut in the market.
Market price of maize has been witnessing high volatility offering substantially low prices during the peak season due to several factors.
As decline in sale price of maize has led the farmers into distress condition, area under maize cultivation will come down drastically in future, apprehend officials of the Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, distress sale of maize in the district is forcing people to opt for plantation of Eucalyptus. However, planting Eucalyptus will have long term adverse impact on the soil health of the area.
What is all the more worrying is the indolence of the Odisha State Agriculture Marketing Board (OSAMB) here against such a disturbing backdrop in the tribal and backward district.
The OSAMB, being the apex body to ensure right price for the produce to the farmer, needs to intervene through MSP to ensure at least the cost price.
As the maize selling price is showing downward trend and hurting farmers, the neighbouring State Marketing Boards are seen making market interventions and helping out the farmers.
In Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, these agriculture marketing organisations are actively participating in the market intervention through MSP.
However, the OSAMB and the Regional Market Committees (RMC)s are not intervening allowing the situation for the farmers to worsen, admit officials.
Farmers’ organisations have urged the State Government to issue directive to the OSAMB to make market intervention and help out the distressed farmers.