The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) has procured 32,155 tonnes of paddy from farmers as the additional (second) crop season is inching closer to completion in Alappuzha. Ryots, however, are upset over the delay in getting the price of paddy procured from them.
Farmers have undertaken paddy farming on 9,122 hectares in the additional season in the district, a significant portion of which is in Kuttanad. Officials said that about 88% of the paddy sown area had been harvested so far. “The procurement is making progress and the entire process will draw to a close in the coming weeks,” said a Supplyco official.
The Supplyco has procured paddy worth ₹90.67 crore from Alappuzha this season. Though the agency issued 6,132 pay orders to the tune of ₹53.52 crore, it has so far given a list of only 3,755 farmers to Canara Bank and State Bank of India for distributing ₹34.26 crore as procurement price.
Like in the previous seasons, payments to farmers are made from banks under the paddy receipt sheet (PRS) loan scheme for which Supplyco stands guarantee. Though it was earlier announced that the procurement price would be distributed through three banks, Supplyco failed to reach an agreement with the Federal Bank.
Last month, Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil expressed confidence that the paddy procurement price for the season could be disbursed without delay. With several farmers yet to receive the procurement price, they fear a repeat of the last ‘puncha’ (first) crop season (November-April) when the disbursal of payments dragged on for months. Farmers say that the government’s failure to ensure the timely disbursal of the procurement price is pushing them into a debt trap. Delay in payments is forcing farmers to borrow money from moneylenders at exorbitant interest rates to cultivate paddy in the ‘puncha’ season, which witnesses the most extensive acreage of paddy cultivation in the region.
The government earlier fixed the procurement price of paddy at ₹28.20 per kg. This includes a minimum support price and a State incentive bonus. Besides, farmers are also entitled to get another 12 paise per kg as handling charges.
