JEYPORE: Procurement of rabi paddy will start next week but many farmers of Koraput district are yet to renew their registration with large area multi-purpose cooperative societies (LAMPS) to sell their stocks. Blame it on poor internet network, farmers are unable to either register their names or renew the registrations under Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS).

Rabi paddy procurement will begin in the district on May 25. Paddy was cultivated in over 25,000 hectares of land in the current season across Jeypore, Kotpad, Kundra, and Borrigumma and currently, the harvest is on. Farmers who had earlier registered their names in LAMPS should renew their registrations in P-PAS and new farmers have to register their names to participate in the procurement.

However, due to frequent disruption in the internet, the process is being delayed. Names of 2,000 new farmers are yet to be uploaded on the website.

According to official reports, 11,100 farmers have registered their names so far. Last year, over 9,000 farmers had participated in the rabi procurement and this year, 13,000 farmers are expected to participate. 
Inquiry ordered

Sub-Collector Loknath Dalbehera has asked the local tehsildar to conduct an inquiry into allegations of middlemen registering their names as farmers to take part in the rabi paddy procurement. A group of farmers had recently alleged that some middlemen had managed to get land receipts from the Revenue Department and got their names entered in LAMPS as farmers.