Kharif paddy procurement in Nuapada district has not yet been fully effective across the district even after a week of its starting. It was decided that paddy would be procured through 61 procurement centres run by 26 PACS, but only 15 centres have been made effective till now.
"Procurement was started from November 28 with a target of 6.76 lakh quintal of paddy for the current Kharif season. It was decided that the Civil Supplies Corporation (OCSC), the MARKFED and the TDCC would procure paddy, and when the former two have already started procurement, the TDCC is yet to start," said the District Civil Supplies Officer.
All other procurement centres would be fully effective within a week," added the CSO. He further informed that 16 millers have already signed agreements with the OCSC for participating in procurement.
Farmers in different blocks of the district in the meanwhile have complained of distress sale of paddy due to non-functioning of a majority of the procurement centres. "Small and marginal farmers like us sell our paddy immediately after harvest; and in case of delay in starting of procurement centres, we are forced to sell our stocks to middlemen or directly to the traders," said a marginal farmer of Domjhar village.
Out of about 60,000 farmers of the district, only 15,740 have registered with the OCSC for selling their paddy. The total procurement till date is about 10,000 quintal.