Paddy procurement in Nuapada district has been deferred for about a week due to fund problem of the cooperative societies.
Procurement was scheduled to start from November 21 as decided at the procurement meeting held on November 10.
"The cooperative societies are not able to draw money from their banks due to RBI restrictions; they may take a week to settle the things," said the Nuapada ACSO.
The farmers in the meantime are forced to sell their produce at distress rates to brokers appointed by millers. In most places, the farmers are being paid in old one-thousand and five hundred-rupee notes.
The district has set a procurement target of 45,000 MT of Kharif paddy in the first phase of procurement. "The target will increase, and it depends on the online registration of farmers," said the ACSO.