JEYPORE: The district administration would start procuring paddy for the ensuing rabi season from May 25 at different mandis across Koraput district. Sources said farmers of Jeypore Upper Kolab ayacut areas have cultivated paddy on over 25,000 hectares of land for the ensuing rabi season and the harvesting of the crop would begin from next week. After receiving inputs from farmers, the district administration has decided to start paddy procurement from May 25 at 30 mandis in both Koraput and Jeypore sub-divisions.
Around 20,000 farmers have registered their names for selling their produce to Government agencies and the procurement would be organised by PACs as is the norm. PAC officials would procure paddy from farmers in a systematic manner and later deliver it to Civil Supplies Corporation.
At a meeting chaired by Koraput Collector K S Chakravarti here, it was resolved to procure all the produce brought by the farmers to the mandis and there would be no target for paddy procurement this season. The Collector asked the officials of Civil Supplies and PACs to ensure fair practice during the procurement process.
Remarkably, this year, the millers of Koraput would not participate in rabi paddy procurement programme due to non-availability of rice mills in the district. Keeping this in view, the district administration has decided to allow millers from other States to procure paddy from farmers in the designated mandis.
Koraput civil supply officer Tula Ram Nayak said farmers would not face any issues while selling their produce as like previous years, the stock would be lifted by millers from outside the State.In the last rabi season, the Civil Supplies department had procured around 6.21 lakh quintal paddy from farmers of Koraput district in May and June.