Crops over hundreds of acres left to dry

JEYPORE: Resentment is brewing among farmers of the district for the delay in paddy procurement. Crop over hundreds of acres has dried up with farmers not going ahead with harvesting and threshing in the absence of procurement by the government agencies. As per reports, over a lakh acre of land was under paddy cultivation in the kharif season, but only 40 per cent of crops has been harvested so far. Farmers said crops in the remaining lands would be harvested only after procurement begins. They said if they go ahead with threshing, they have to stock the paddy and in the process, there would be moisture content owing to winter. “If the crops are damp, their price would be reduced by the procuring agencies. So we have left the crops to dry in the paddy field itself,” said Madan Pujari, a farmer of Dhanpur.On the other hand, the farmers who have gone ahead with harvesting, are reportedly disposing of their produce at less than the minimum support price to agents to collect money and prepare for the ensuing rabi season. Under these circumstances, pani panchayats of Koraput have appealed to the district administration to begin procurement at the earliest.