Collector Umesh Kumar Agrawal has directed the Sub Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and Secretaries of Agriculture Produce Mandi to start the sale and purchase in all the mandi and sub-mandi premises to check illegal trade and to ensure correct measurement, correct price and timely payment to the farmers, officials said.
The Collector stated that agriculture produce should not be sold for less than minimum support price. He also directed the officers to ensure that during paddy procurement the retail traders of Mandi area purchase the paddy according to the terms and conditions of the license and in prescribed amount according to the support price.
The verification of the stock of all licensed and non-licensed retail traders should be completed and the report should be submitted to the Officer In-charge. The checking of vehicles coming from Odisha towards panchayat near the Odisha border should be done and action should be taken according to Mandi Act, the officials said.
The order was given by the Collector in compliance of the directives issued by the Managing Director of Agriculture Marketing Board for procurement of paddy in Kharif marketing 2014-15.
The directives were issued in view of improper implementation of the provisions of Mandi Act due to which the inflow of listed agriculture produce has not been started. Due to this the objective of establishing Mandis and infrastructure cannot be utilis0ed while farmers are suffering loss due to delay in payment.