Palakkad : With the first-crop harvest nearing completion, paddy farmers in Palakkad are facing mounting distress as uncertainty over procurement through Supplyco leaves them struggling to protect their harvested produce from rain and avoid distress sales to private mills.
Supplyco recently recommended a price of Rs 32/kg, which is now under consideration by the finance department. Govt had assured them that the price would be announced in the last week of Oct, but nothing has been done so far.
Kerala Karshaka Sangham district president K D Prasennan and district secretary M R Murali said the delay was pushing thousands of families dependent on farming into uncertainty and urged govt to immediately resolve the procurement crisis. Farmers are also awaiting a procurement price announcement.
Farmers said the procurement process, which was expected to begin in Sept, remained ineffective even in the first week of Nov, forcing many to sell paddy to private mill operators at lower prices. The district requires three paddy marketing officers, but only one is currently available, the organisation said. The district committee of Kerala Karshaka Sangham has criticised govt and Supplyco for failing to streamline procurement. The procurement process is hampered by staff shortages. Each Krishi Bhavan needs three to four field staff, while many have only one. The shortage has affected field inspections, measurement of harvested paddy and issuance of paddy receipt sheets (PRS).