The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) is making slow progress on disbursing paddy procurement price to farmers even as the additional (second) crop season is nearing completion in Alappuzha.
The Supplyco has procured 35,700.090 tonnes of paddy worth over ₹100 crore from Alappuzha in the additional season. However, it has not yet distributed even half the procurement price. Though the agency issued 10,062 pay orders to the tune of ₹87.07 crore, it has so far given a list of only 5,254 farmers to Canara Bank and State Bank of India for disbursing ₹46.07 crore as procurement price as of Thursday.
Payments to farmers are made from banks under the paddy receipt sheet (PRS) loan scheme for which Supplyco stands guarantee. Earlier, the government, following the delay in the disbursal of payments in the previous season, announced that the paddy procurement price for the season would be distributed without delay. Though it was announced that the price would be released through three banks, Supplyco failed to reach an agreement with Federal Bank.
