Rayagada: The procurement target for mandis (grain markets) has been exhausted since last Saturday. Farmers who had received purchase tokens arrived at the mandis with loaded tractors to sell their paddy. However, due to the exhausted target, paddy procurement had stopped, and since there was no space to store the paddy in the mandi premises, farmers expressed their frustration. In protest, they parked their paddy-laden vehicles in the middle of the road, causing traffic disruption.
This unusual scene was witnessed at the Budaguda Paddy Mandi in the Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district. For nearly two hours, traffic was affected due to the blockade. Later, PPC MD and AMC officials arranged space within the mandi premises, allowing farmers to unload their paddy sacks, after which the road was cleared.
Food Supply Officer Dasaratha Soren stated that since the procurement target had not been assigned to the mandi, he had raised the issue. He assured that a new target would be allocated the next day, ensuring that there would be no further inconvenience in paddy procurement. He also mentioned that while there were minor issues in a few mandis like Budaguda, Muniguda, and Kashipur, operations were running smoothly in most other mandis.
At Budaguda Mandi, paddy procurement had been progressing phase-wise, but since the target was exhausted last Saturday, procurement had stopped. Soren confirmed that a new target would be allocated the next day. Additionally, some millers were accused of not lifting the procured paddy on time. Due to this, the MD had issued show-cause notices to the concerned millers.
Soren also highlighted that many millers were failing to deposit their security payments on time, causing major disruptions. While the government claims to have all necessary arrangements for paddy procurement, farmers protested the reality of the situation.
Farmers like Shankar Praska, Naveen Kadroka, and Danu Nishika questioned the government’s inefficiency in managing the mandis. They expressed their frustration over spending money to transport their paddy to the mandi, only to be turned away due to exhausted procurement targets and lack of storage space.
Finally, after intervention by the RMC (Regulated Market Committee), arrangements were made to store the farmers’ paddy safely, bringing the situation under control.