BJP raps govt for delay in opening mandi to procure paddy in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: BJP on Monday alleged that farmers sell paddy to traders of other states due to delay in opening of mandis in Odisha. The party said that the state is allowing distress sale of paddy by delaying opening of Mandis. BJD denied the allegation and said that the government is taking necessary steps in this regard.
BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan while addressing a press conference here on Monday said Mandis are yet to be opened in coastal districts.Some Mandis were opened in western Odisha districts after much delay, he added.
“Farmers try to sell their harvested paddy immediately to repay their loan. They cannot wait for several months, that’s why they are selling their paddy to traders at Rs 1250 per quintal against the government’s minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2040 per quintal. The districts bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are facing this distress sale. This is like punishing the farmers by not opening the Mandis at the scheduled date,” said Harichandan.
He said the state government should have opened Mandis on December 1, but nothing has materialised yet in the coastal part of the state. “The state government should stop irregularities in the name of farmer registration and issue of tokens. It should open grievance cells for farmers who do not get MSP for paddy. The officers involved in paddy procurement should be taken to task for not paying MSP to farmers,” he added.
The BJP leader said they cannot tolerate insults to farmers. “We will submit a memorandum to sub-collectors of 58 sub-divisions of the state on Wednesday demanding justice for the farmers. BJP workers will visit different Mandis of the state between December 22 and December 28 to take stock of the situation. We will intensify the movement if the state does not solve the Mandi issue,” he added.
Cooperation minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said around 1.24 lakh farmers have sold their paddy in Mandis and they have received Rs 1104 crore. “The MSP of paddy should be increased to Rs 3333 per quintal. We pay the existing MSP to farmers and there is no distress sale of paddy,” he added.