6 months ago
2
The paddy procurement situation successful the State remains unresolved arsenic atom mill owners quality the government’s assertion of reaching an statement with them.
K.K. Raman, president of the Kerala Rice Millers Association, connected Wednesday rejected the government’s claims that mill owners’ concerns person been addressed and paddy procurement has begun successful Palakkad and Alappuzha. He said the authorities claims were baseless.
Mill owners had raised concerns astir paddy quality, paddy-rice ratio, handling charges, and pending payments. “The authorities has not fixed america immoderate assurance connected these demands,” said Mr. Raman.
According to Mr. Raman, presently lone a azygous mill extracurricular the relation is progressive successful paddy procurement.
When the authorities began paddy procurement successful 2005, arsenic galore arsenic 112 atom mills were involved. However, that fig has present travel down to 56. Twelve mills were closed down successful the past 5 years. Twenty mills had backed retired of procurement, helium said.
“Eleven mills incurred a nonaccomplishment of ₹200 crore arsenic they could not springiness the stipulated magnitude of atom to Supplyco due to the fact that of deficiency of prime of the paddy,” helium said.
Mill owners are facing a large situation akin to that of farmers, said Mr. Raman, demanding authorities involution to code their woes.
Socialist Party (India) State wide caput Manoj T. Sarang demanded contiguous authorities involution to procure the harvested paddy successful the State. “The farmers are becoming the scapegoat successful the tug-of-war betwixt the authorities and mill owners,” helium said.
Police detaining members of the Palakkad territory committee of the National Janata Dal connected Wednesday for blocking National Highway 544 astatine Kuzhalmandam, betwixt Wadakkanchery and Walayar, during a protest. The objection was organised to condemn the government’s alleged effort to deceive farmers by delaying the commencement of paddy procurement. | Photo Credit: K. K. Mustafah
He lamented that owed to delayed authorities procurement, farmers were forced to merchantability their paddy to backstage mills astatine debased rates.
Muthalamthodu Mani, president, Desiya Karshaka Samajam (DKS), urged the authorities to summation the husbandman inducement from ₹6.31 to ₹10 per kg to forestall the paddy procurement strategy from a full collapse.
Karshaka Congress territory president B. Iqbal has accused the authorities of colluding with the mill owners to assistance them marque gains from the procurement crisis. He said the authorities had delayed the procurement arsenic portion of an knowing with the mill owners, who demanded GST issues connected to the Central government.
Mr. Iqbal alleged that the government, alert of its inability to code mill owners’ concerns, failed to devise alternate procurement plans. “By delaying the process, the authorities indirectly pushed farmers to merchantability paddy to backstage mills astatine debased prices,” helium said, informing of launching an agitation if the authorities did not find a solution immediately.
