Staging a demonstration in front of the district collectorate of Koraput, local farmers alleged that they were facing a lot of troubles in disposing of their paddy at the mandis as they did not have basic facilities like threshing yard, water, rest shed and loading and unloading arrangements.
They complained that for providing the minimal facilities available at a mandi, the Regulated Marketing Committee (RMC) takes 2 per cent of the total paddy that goes for procurement,” claimed Zilla Krushaka Kalyana Manch (ZKKM) secretary Narendra Kumar Pradhan.
He said the farmers coming from far-flung areas to sell their produce are not provided with night shelter, while the mandis do not have sufficient space to stock paddy. Polythene sheets are also not provided to the farmers to cover their paddy sacks, he complained further.
“While procurement agencies should bear the cost of loading and unloading of paddy and transporting it to the mill, the farmers are asked to bear it,” he alleged.
The mandis are infested with middlemen. The administration should take adequate steps to prevent entry of these elements, he suggested.
When asked, Koraput District Collector Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav said, “Utmost care will be taken to sort out the problems of the farmers and ensure that the procurement of paddy goes smooth.”