4 months ago
1
Paddy farmers successful the territory person expressed apprehension implicit the government’s determination to transmission paddy procurement done cooperative societies alternatively than Supplyco for the upcoming 2nd harvest season.
They reason that cooperative societies deficiency some the expertise to negociate large-scale procurement efficiently and the quality to wage farmers wrong 2 days of collection.
When paddy procurement began successful Kerala successful 2003, cooperative societies were liable for the process. However, aft procuring 3 crops, 5 cooperative banks approached the High Court, seeking to extremity procurement done the societies. The entreaty was led by K. Krishnankutty, past president of the Perumatty Service Cooperative Bank and present the Minister for Power.
Supplyco took implicit paddy procurement successful 2005 and has managed the process ever since. “The authorities is present attempting to revive a failed experimentation by entrusting cooperative societies with paddy procurement,” said Pandiyodu Prabhakaran, wide caput of the Desiya Karshaka Samrakshana Samiti (DKSS).
“Attempting to repetition a twice-failed experimentation is ill-advised. Cooperative societies deficiency the indispensable facilities for procurement and whitethorn extremity up relying connected backstage atom mills, which could pb to corruption and complications,” warned Mr. Prabhakaran. He added that involving cooperative societies would, successful effect, beryllium deceiving the farmers.
Harvesting of the 2nd paddy harvest is astir to statesman successful the occidental regions of Palakkad district, wherever irrigation does not trust connected dam water. In the eastbound regions, which beryllium connected dam h2o for irrigation, the 2nd harvest is expected to beryllium harvested successful February.
Desiya Karshaka Samajam (DKS) president Muthalamthodu Mani besides urged the authorities to wantonness its program to procure paddy done cooperative societies, citing 2 erstwhile failures. “The societies bash not person mills oregon godowns, truthful it is improbable they volition beryllium capable to negociate paddy procurement,” said Mr. Mani.
The DKS has demanded that the authorities denote its procurement plans without hold to forestall disorder and uncertainty among farmers. It warned that postponing the procurement would not lone origin important losses to farmers but besides foster opportunities for corruption.
Meanwhile, the quality implicit the percent of atom to beryllium extracted from paddy remains unresolved. While the Central authorities mandates 66% atom from the paddy procured from farmers, atom mills successful Kerala importune connected 63.5%
The disagreement has escalated into a Centre-State stand-off, with the Centre withholding astir Rs.1,300 crore, citing the State’s nonaccomplishment to supply implicit procurement accounts.
