Farmers have dumped food grains under the open sky due to non-opening of paddy procurement centres (Mandis) in many places of Ganjam district, alleged former BJP district president Kanhu Charan Pati in a statement here on Saturday.
Owing to highhandedness and nexus between the officials of the Supply and Cooperative Departments and corrupt mill owners, farmers are facing problems in selling crops. Mill owners of the neighboring State Andhra Pradesh are exploiting farmers to which the Ganjam district administration has paid deaf ears.
The party alleged that the Government is able to procure paddy from only 25 per cent of the six lakhs farmers, including Bhaga chasi (sharecroppers) of the district but making false claim of procuring paddy from all farmers.
“The Government could procure 37,04,427.51 quintals of paddy only from 73,737 farmers out of 1,28,700 registered farmers.
The release alleged that Supply Department officials misappropriated lakhs of rupees in 2019 by procuring paddy at Rs 1,000 per quintal and showing Rs 1,361 in papers.
The Government had introduced token system to loot crores of rupees from farmers. Millers are not depositing one-sixth of the cost at the time of procurement which violates the established principle of procurement and the objections put forth by the farmers remain unheeded.
Due to lack of storing facilities, farmers have faced distress sale. Mill owners and businessmen of Andhra Pradesh are procuring paddy from Ganjam farmers by paying Rs 500 less than the MSP.
Pati and present BJP district president Bibhuti Jena have given an ultimatum to the Government to procure the entire existing stock of the paddy from the farmers and clear all the dues of the farmers within 15 days failing which their party would be forced to stage a demonstration in front of the office of the District Civil Supplies Officer at Chhatrapur. The district administration would be held responsible for any consequence, cautioned the release.