Koraput district administration's plans to register farmers through self-help groups opposed by farmers

Jeypore Civil Supply Officer Tularam Nayak assured the farmers that the matter will be taken up with the Collector.
A dried up paddy field (Photo| EPS)
A dried up paddy field (Photo| EPS)

JEYPORE: Koraput district administration’s decision to register farmers online through self-help groups (SHGs) for Kharif paddy procurement was opposed by the farming community in Jeypore block on Thursday.

Protesting over the issue, hundreds of farmers from Jeypore, Dhanpur, Ambaguda, Tankua, Kaligam, Majurmunda, Akemba and Hadia staged agitation in front of the District Civil Supply Office here and demanded that the decision be reviewed in the larger interest of farmers. They said while most of the SHGs have no minimum infrastructure like computer and internet facilities for online registration, the members lack professional know-how to make online registration. 

The district administration recently decided to engage SHGs for online registration of farmers for paddy procurement in Kharif season. As per the plan, farmers need to register their names at the SGH concerned to participate in kharif paddy procurement. However, the farmers opposed the decision citing that they have to register their names again for purchase of their produce despite availability of procurement list with Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS).

Jeypore Civil Supply Officer Tularam Nayak assured the farmers that the matter will be taken up with the Collector.

Admin move to check pest attack

Jeypore: Jeypore district agriculture office has geared up its field machinery to control the spread of pests in kharif paddy fields and protect standing crops.  After recent heavy rains, several types of pests have started attacking the standing paddy crops in Jeypore, Kotpad, Borrigumma and Kundra pocket due to waterlogging in the farmlands for several days. Reports of pest attack have started pouring in from different flood-affected areas.

Though the farmers have started spraying pesticides in the affected patches at their own costs, they have failed to prevent it from spreading. Farmers have demanded free supply of pesticides by the State Government. Meanwhile, the district officials visited different pest-affected areas and asked the village level agriculture workers and Krushak Sathis to conduct a survey for supplying subsidised pesticides to farmers.  Jeypore district plant protection officer D Satyanarayan said subsidised pesticides are now available in all blocks for farmers. The situation is under control and the farmers should not be worried over pest attack, he added.

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