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BHAWANIPATNA: It’s all confusion for farmers here. Paddy procurement in the district is yet to pick up even after four days of starting on November 25 while the administration is still undecided on whether to open the mandis or tag custom millers to the respective purchasing centres. The administration had decided to open 67 paddy purchasing centres and 16 sub- centres, but only 5 purchasing centres have so far been opened in Kalampur block. Here too, the work has been limited to registration of farmers and issue of tokens. The sub-divisional officers of Bhawanipatna and Dharamgarh sub-divisions have been directed to open purchasing centres as per the need in phases.On the other hand, rice mills are yet to be tagged to any of the purchasing centres for lifting paddy. Out of 115 mills in the district, last year 94 participated in the procurement process but only 55 could complete 100 per cent delivery of rice.This year, only 78 mills, which could deliver 90 to 100 per cent rice, have qualified. However, despite the Government’s directive no millers have turned up to sign the agreement.This, many suspect, is a pressure tactic by the millers to include all mills which would bring down the percentage of rice they would have to return to the Government. For one quintal of paddy, the millers have to return 68 kg of boiled rice and 67 kg in case of raw rice.Amidst confusion, reports of distress sale and exploitation of farmers by middlemen and millers are trickling in from various parts of the district.Meanwhile, the Collector has directed all field functionaries and nodal officers to keep vigil to prevent distress sale.
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