Storage Challenges Halt Paddy Procurement in Jharkhand, Farmers Suffer the Consequences
Click to start listening
Ranchi, Jan 12 (NationPress) The procurement of paddy at government centres in several districts of Jharkhand has reached a standstill, resulting in numerous farmers returning without their produce.
This predicament has emerged due to storage constraints at PACS (Primary Agricultural Credit Societies) and LAMPS (Large Area Multi-Purpose Societies). Overloaded warehouses are unable to accept more paddy, as rice millers have not been collecting stock from these facilities.
Moreover, server outages and technical issues have further impeded the procurement process in certain regions.
In districts like Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, Garhwa, Chaibasa, Chatra, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Jamtara, Giridih, Latehar, Godda, Pakur, Deoghar, Sahibganj, Gumla, and Khunti, only 8 to 40 percent of the targeted paddy has been procured thus far.
The Joint Secretary of the Food Supply, Public Distribution, and Consumer Affairs Department recently raised concerns in a communication to the Deputy Commissioners of 12 districts, calling for prompt action to tackle the sluggish procurement rate in the state.
In Hazaribagh, most PACS and LAMPS have ceased purchasing due to full storage facilities.
BJP MLA Manoj Kumar Yadav, who represents the Barhi Assembly constituency, brought this issue to the attention of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. He noted that paddy procurement in the district has been stalled for almost a month, enabling middlemen to take advantage of the situation by buying paddy from farmers at prices significantly lower than the government rate.
Government centres provide a fixed rate of Rs 2,400 per quintal (including bonuses) for paddy. In contrast, middlemen are allegedly offering between Rs 1,800 to Rs 1,900 per quintal, putting additional pressure on farmers.
The Jharkhand government established 699 paddy procurement centres across the state, which commenced operations on December 15. The procurement target for this year is 60 lakh quintals of paddy. Despite more than 2.4 lakh farmers registering to sell their crops, procurement has been suspended at numerous centres.
This year, the government anticipates a total paddy production of 41.38 lakh tonnes, cultivated over 15.48 lakh hectares. In comparison, the state produced 32.10 lakh tonnes in 2023.
Immediate action is essential to address storage and logistical issues, guaranteeing fair procurement practices for farmers and preventing further exploitation by middlemen.
