The peasants of Hazaribagh district are unhappy as Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) are not purchasing their paddy. Those who are in need of money have no option other than to sell it to the middlemen who are giving very less price of their product.
Interestingly, this year Jharkhand Government had allotted only Rs4.5 crores to the PACS for purchase of paddy crop. The PACS of the district purchased 52,153 quintals paddy from 1,949 peasants at the rate of Rs1,410 per quintal fixed by the Government. It is already more than the amount given by the Government so that PACS now are not procuring paddy from the peasants.
District Manager of State food corporation Vogendra Thakur said that we have utilised the money given by Government. Some peasants gave their product in a hope that Government will increase the allotment and sooner or later they will get their amount. Now, all 15 godowns of the district are full and we are not in a position to procure more paddy. About 44,000 quintals paddy is dumped in the godowns.
The Government this year has also changed the rules of giving paddy to the rice mills on the basis of previous experiences. This time in the agreement paper, it has been added that the rice mills should have to supply rice before receiving paddy from the godowns as per the ratio fixed. Only two rice mills have so far agreed with the terms and conditions of State Government so milling of rice is going at very slow pace.
The peasants who are unaware of these technicalities are blaming the Government for their problem. They are openly saying that it is Government’s job to arrange purchase of their paddy so that they can get good price of their product and if it will not do so, their coming generations will not take interest in agricultural works.