Bargarh : Procurement of rabi paddy for 2024-25 season will start from May 14

The district level procurement committee (DLPC) of Bargarh has decided that procurement of rabi paddy for 2024-25 season will start from May 14.

GARH: The district level procurement committee (DLPC) of Bargarh has decided that procurement of rabi paddy for 2024-25 season will start from May 14.

Unlike previous years when procurement timelines varied across market yards in different blocks, collection will begin uniformly across all mandis in the district this year. This was decided at the DLPC chaired by collector Aditya Goyal on Wednesday.

As per the directive, only registered farmers will be eligible to receive procurement tokens and all regulations from previous years will continue to be enforced.

There has been an increase in the numbers of farmer registrations this year. While 86,000-plus farmers registered last season, this year 92,571 have enrolled to sell their paddy of which around 60 per cent have already been verified.

The minimum support price (MSP) is fixed at `2,183 per quintal for common paddy and `2,203 for grade-A paddy which will be coupled with the additional input subsidy making the farmers eligible for receiving `3,100 per quintal unlike last year.

While the announcement was welcomed for its organisational clarity, the meeting failed to address a key agenda - the harvest per acre. This sparked strong reactions among farmer communities who have raised concerns over the DLPC’s approach, deeming it inappropriate and incomplete.

With the summer temperatures rising, collector Goyal instructed departments to make provisions for shaded waiting areas and ORS stocking at every mandi to ensure farmer safety during procurement.

The collector has called for widespread awareness of farmers about toll free numbers 1967 or 06646-246041 if any miller, self help group, RMC officer or supply officer harasses farmers during procurement and assured that actions would be taken within 48 hours of the complaint.

However, despite efforts to streamline operations, the meeting ended on a note of frustration for many farmers with core issues such as token, gunny bag shortages, deduction, exploitation by millers and influence of middlemen remaining unresolved.

Moreover, members of Jai Kisan Andolan staged a protest outside the collector’s office in Bargarh, on Wednesday.

The farmers criticised the meeting’s legitimacy, claiming that district-level committees have lost relevance under current policies. They highlighted issues such as harassment by middlemen and faulty grain analysers, demanding open discussions and action from elected representatives.