ALAPPUZHA: The slow pace of paddy procurement initiated by the State Civil Supplies Corporation in Kuttanad is worrying the farmers.

They fear that several lakh tonnes of paddy kept in their makeshift storehouses will get destroyed or they will have to resort to distress sale if the corporation fail to take remedial steps immediately as the procurement will end on March 31.

The Kuttanad Vikasana Samithi (an NGO working with farmers) executive director Fr. Thomas Peelianikkal said huge quantities of paddy had been lying in the storehouses in Kuttanad since March 1. The paddy would be damaged if the corporation failed to take it as the storehouses were not equipped to keep it for a long period.

The Civil Supplies Corporation has entrusted private mills to procure paddy from Kuttanad to convert it to rice and resell it to the corporation.

Fr. Peelianikkal said the current procurement rate was five thousand quintals a day and at this rate it was impossible to complete the procurement before the month-end.

Meanwhile, some of the private mills that had been entrusted with the procurement were playing delaying tactics with an aim of forcing the farmers to sell paddy at low rates to their agents who operate covertly, he said.

While the rate of procurement of the Civil Supplies Corporation was Rs. 707 a quintal, the agents buy it at the rate of Rs.580-600, noted Fr. Peelianikkal. He urged the Government to entrust more mills to procure paddy to ensure speedy procurement. He also demanded that the deadline for procurement be extended to April 30.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail