Farmers forced to sell paddy below MSP: Odisha BJP

BHUBANESWAR: As the paddy procurement scam in Kendrapara district returned to hunt the Odisha Government, the BJP on Sunday claimed that farmers of the State are forced to go for distress sale due to shortage of mandis and non-payment of minimum support price (MSP) by Government appointed agencies.

“Farmers are not getting MSP of paddy due to a price cut at procurement centres. As millers are dictating terms, farmers are forced to go for distress sale of their agriculture produce,” BJP MLA Pradip Purohit alleged.

It is ironical that farmers are made to sell their paddy below the MSP at a time when the State Government and several farmers’ organisations have been urging the Centre to double the MSP of paddy, he said.
Even as the official date for paddy procurement in Kharif Marketing Season-2018 was November 1, the State Government prepared a schedule for districts under the three Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs) after due consultation with Collectors.

Though procurement of paddy was scheduled to start from November 5 in Northern Division, only a few market yards have started functioning, he said.

While paddy stocks are piling up in the market yards, non-functioning of the mandis have forced the farmers to sell their stocks to middlemen who are agents of the local rice millers at whatever price they quote, the BJP legislator said.

The Centre has fixed paddy MSP at Rs 1,750 per quintal for common variety and `1,770 for Grade-A variety, but the farmers are selling paddy at Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,200 per quintal to private traders. 

Purohit further alleged that rice millers are not lifting paddy from the mandis till they got a price cut for 4 to 5 kg per bag much to the chagrin of the farmers. Even as a House Committee under the chairmanship of Speaker decided during the winter session of the Assembly to meet the Prime Minister and the President to press the demand for MSP hike, the Government has left the farmers at the mercy of the private traders.