Paddy procurement for the Dalua (Rabi) crop in Sambalpur district would begin from May 13. Farmers can sell 33 bags of paddy (one bag containing 75 kg) for each acre of land.
This has been decided at the procurement committee meeting held under the chairmanship of district Collector Balwant Singh. It may be mentioned that paddy procurement is a Herculean task for the administration with allegations and counter-allegations from farmers, their leaders and millers every time.
The committee decided to open market yards from 7 am to 11 am everyday and provide necessary facilities to the farmers keeping in view the sizzling summer.
The Collector appealed to both farmers and millers to maintain transparency during procurement and avoid all disputes. He expressed displeasure over the reluctance of the FCI (Food Corporation of India) during the procurement since it did not participated in the last Kharif season on the plea of staff crunch. He suggested to the FCI to meet the target of procurement through outsourcing of staff.
The farmers’ leaders present at the meeting suggested for a weekly review meeting on procurement to rectify the mistakes if committed during the process. Representatives of the millers were also present.