Paddy is cultivated on a large scale in Mandar block of Ranchi district. According to the government figures, there are 15700 farmers in the block, whereas till now about 750 farmers have registered to sell paddy at MSP rate. The rest of the farmers have sold more than half their paddy.
A woman farmer carrying paddy from the field (Photo: NewsNCR)
Paddy procurement has not started yet in Jharkhand. It was argued by the state government that due to sudden change in weather in the last week of November, there was a delay in harvesting of paddy, due to which the procurement of government paddy is being delayed. The state government has announced that this time 80 lakh tonnes of paddy will be procured from the farmers. The government has also prepared for this. Paddy will be procured in lamps and packs located in the state, apart from this, paddy purchasing centers will be opened in many places separately.
Loss due to delay in paddy procurement
Normally, by this time every year, the procurement of paddy starts in Jharkhand, but this time due to the harshness of the weather, there was a delay in the harvesting of paddy, due to which the procurement of paddy has not started. But there are many farmers who had already harvested paddy before that. Those who have also started selling paddy. In such a situation, middlemen are getting silver because middlemen buy paddy at the rate of Rs 1200 per quintal. Farmers of different panchayats of Mandar block tell that at present one truck of paddy is being sold from each village almost everyday. All the buyers are middlemen who are buying paddy at low prices.
Why do farmers hurry to sell paddy?
There are many reasons behind selling paddy in a hurry. That’s why they want to sell paddy as soon as possible. There are many farmers who cultivate paddy by taking money on credit. In such a situation, they want to sell the paddy as soon as possible and pay the money. Apart from this, many farmers want to plant another crop immediately after harvesting paddy, for this they need money which is completed by selling paddy. By selling paddy, they start preparing for another crop so that they can cultivate vegetables. In Jharkhand, there are many farmers who migrate to work, in such a situation, they want to sell paddy as soon as possible and go back to their work, the brokers take advantage of these compulsions of the farmers.
Why farmers do not sell paddy in Lampas
The government has arranged lamps and packs for farmers to sell paddy at MSP. But most of the farmers are not able to sell their paddy in it. The attitude of the farmers towards the lamps remains indifferent. The farmers of Mandar block tell that they find the process of selling paddy in Lampas complicated, because first registration has to be done to sell paddy. After this, they are given a slot to bring paddy, for this a message also comes on their phone, despite this they are returned many times after bringing the paddy on time. The reason behind this is said to be that the paddy is not dry or there is adulteration in the paddy. Due to this, farmers have to spend money to bring and move paddy. Along with this, farmers always complain that they do not get their paddy money on time. Many farmers have not received their money even after a year has passed. However, this time the state government has said that 50% of the amount will be paid to the farmers on the spot.
condition of mandar block
Paddy is cultivated on a large scale in Mandar block of Ranchi district. According to the government figures, there are 15700 farmers in the block, whereas till now about 750 farmers have registered to sell paddy at MSP rate. The rest of the farmers have sold more than half their paddy. A local public representative, on condition of anonymity, says that most of the paddy in Lampas is sold by middlemen who buy paddy from farmers at cheaper rates. This is the reason why farmers do not benefit.
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