Berhampur: Farmers in Ganjam district intensified their agitation over paddy procurement on Thursday. Several peasants staged a dharna at Laxminarayanpur and blocked road at Polsara by felling trees.
The farmers have been agitating for the past four days at Sumandal, Burujhari and Sankuda in Beguniapada block, demanding their paddy to be procured at minimum support price (MSP), irrespective of its quality.
“We demanded the procurement process to be expedited as the validity of token, needed to supply the grain, will end in two days,” said Ashok Mallick, a farmer of Laxminarayanpur.
The farmers of Beguniapada also have been agitating since Monday over the issue. The growers alleged that millers want to procure 80kg of paddy, instead of 75kg, at the MSP of Rs 1,940 per quintal due to “inferior quality of the produce”.
“We want quality norms of paddy to be relaxed this time as we suffered hardships due to unseasonal rain,” said Bijay Swain, a farmers’ leader.
The farmers have been agitating for the past four days at Sumandal, Burujhari and Sankuda in Beguniapada block, demanding their paddy to be procured at minimum support price (MSP), irrespective of its quality.
“We demanded the procurement process to be expedited as the validity of token, needed to supply the grain, will end in two days,” said Ashok Mallick, a farmer of Laxminarayanpur.
The farmers of Beguniapada also have been agitating since Monday over the issue. The growers alleged that millers want to procure 80kg of paddy, instead of 75kg, at the MSP of Rs 1,940 per quintal due to “inferior quality of the produce”.
“We want quality norms of paddy to be relaxed this time as we suffered hardships due to unseasonal rain,” said Bijay Swain, a farmers’ leader.
