Kotpad: Due to continuous rainfall, farmers in Kotpad block are facing severe trouble with the lifting of paddy from 15 mandis. As lifting is delayed, farmers have been forced to cover their paddy with plastic sheets under the open sky.
Although the deadline for paddy lifting is July 30, farmers are worried. In this situation, farmer leaders have met the Jeypore Sub-Collector and submitted a memorandum demanding immediate lifting of paddy and extension of the deadline in necessary areas. They warned that if the government fails to act quickly, they will be compelled to take to the streets in protest.
It was reported that tokens had been issued for lifting 4.8 lakh quintals of paddy from the 15 mandis of Kotpad block. However, as of now, only around 1.5 lakh quintals have been lifted. Due to lack of cooperation from millers, the lifting of the remaining paddy is delayed. As a result, paddy is lying exposed in the mandis, and farmers have covered it with polythene sheets to protect it from rain.
With only 7 days remaining before the deadline, farmers complained that millers are rejecting 8–10 kg per quintal citing “FAQ norms” (Fair Average Quality). Farmers alleged that the state government has failed to fulfill its earlier promises, and the delay in lifting paddy has eroded their trust in the administration.
Farmer leaders and representatives including Shukriya Pradhani (Krushak Samaj), Sitanath Bishwal (President, Farmers’ Welfare), and Jagadish Bisoai (President, Bobeya) expressed deep dissatisfaction and said that if paddy is not lifted in time, they would organize road blockades and bandhs, holding the government and administration entirely responsible.
It is worth noting that earlier, District Collector V. Keerthi Vasan and Sub-Collector A. Shasya Reddy had visited the Kotpad mandi and reviewed the situation.
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