Paddy distress for farmers in Odisha’s Ganjam

In a concerning development, thousands of small and marginal farmers in Ganjam district find themselves excluded from the paddy procurement process, leading to a surge in distress sales. According to Simanchal Nahak, Secretary of Rushikulya Rayat Mahasabha, approximately 60,000 farmers, especially sharecroppers, are being compelled to sell their paddy to traders from Andhra Pradesh.

One major hurdle faced by these farmers is their ineligibility to sell at mandis due to a lack of land records and certification from landowners. Despite persistent appeals, the district administration has purportedly failed to facilitate the inclusion of sharecroppers in the official procurement channels.

Early harvest this year has compounded the issue, with many farmers in the district having stored surplus paddy. The token limit set for procurement is insufficient, leaving farmers with little choice but to sell their excess produce to traders from Andhra Pradesh. Notably, these distressed farmers are allegedly not compensated for transportation costs and gunny sacks at most paddy procurement centers (PPCs). Additionally, they are reportedly being coerced into providing an extra 5-7 kg per quintal of paddy.

Simanchal Nahak pointed out that the farmers are selling their paddy to Andhra Pradesh traders at ₹1,470 per bag of 75 kg, significantly below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹2,183 per quintal.

In response to these claims, civil supplies officer Puspa Munda stated that the administration has not received any allegations of distress sales. According to Munda, this year, 1,46,541 farmers in the district registered to sell their paddy. Approximately 70,000 farmers have sold 30.81 lakh paddy at PPCs so far. The procurement target for this year is set at 45.67 lakh quintals.

The paddy procurement process commenced on December 22 last year, and at the current pace, it is expected to conclude by February, as mentioned by Munda.

Meanwhile, Ganjam collector Dibya Jyoti Parida issued a stern warning against individuals demanding extra paddy from farmers at procurement centers. In an advisory, Parida emphasized the daily procurement target of at least 100 quintals of paddy at each PPC and directed the display of a list of farmers issued tokens for selling paddy at procurement centers.