 "Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Sops cast a shadow on paddy sale")
The sops offered by different political parties on paddy purchase during electioneering have reportedly cast a shadow on procurement.
Even as 15 days have passed since the state government started procurement at minimum support price (MSP), just about 400,000 tonnes of paddy has reached the centres.
The state government has set a target to purchase 13 million tonnes of paddy during the current kharif marketing season. The procurement process started on November 1 and will continue till January 31, 2024.
“As on Tuesday, farmers have sold 401,603.92 tonnes of paddy in the centres,” said a senior official in Chhattisgarh’s Marketing Federation (MARKFED), the nodal agency for paddy procurement in the state.
The federation has set up 2,739 procurement centres across the state to purchase paddy from 2.68 million farmers, who have registered to sell their produce at MSP.
The slow pace of paddy arrival has been linked to the elections in Chhattisgarh. While the first phase concluded on November 7, the state will go to polls in the second and final phase on November 17.
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The farmers are reportedly reluctant to sell their produce till the next government is formed in Chhattisgarh after the counting of votes on December 3.
“They (farmers) are waiting for government formation and the instant decision it may take includes a higher price for paddy,” an agriculture activist said. The BJP has promised to pay Rs 3,100 for a quintal of paddy while the Congress announced that it will purchase paddy at Rs 3,200.
There is no clarity from which marketing season the higher price will be paid, the activist said. Moreover, BJP has also promised to pay two installments of bonus that its government has withheld in the last two years of its 15-year rule.
An agriculture department official added that the announcement by the Congress to write off farm loans has also paused sale of paddy.
Since the Congress has vowed to waive farm loans fully after retaining power, the farmers are preferring to wait and watch instead of paying back their loans.