Even as farmers across the State are struggling to get minimum support price (MSP) for their paddy, their Sambalpur counterparts this time got more than the MSP.
Rabi paddy procurement in the district was recently concluded and farmers received Rs 10 to Rs 45 more than the MSP of Rs 1310 per quintal of paddy.
Against a target of 87,015 tonnes of paddy set by the district-level paddy procurement committee, 77,990 tonnes were procured in the season.
The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department had opened 19 procurement centres and for the first time. The smooth passage of the procurement process is being attributed to the Sambalpur Zilla Krushak Surakhya Sangathan (SZKSS) who stepped up vigil and ensured that farmers were not harassed.
Farmers’ leader Ashok Pradhan said normally, rice millers entered into conspiracy and undervalued the cost of paddy on various pleas and pretext. “But this year there was no such reports and alertness of SZKSS ensured that no paddy from outside the district enter the local market yards,” he said.
Secretary of District Regulated Market Committee, Sanjay Tripathy, said auction of paddy to the rice millers fetched the farmers the profit.
