Patna, (Bihar Times): Farmers of Bihar may lose an amount to the tune of Rs 200 crore due to some technical problems among the central and state government agencies over the procurement of paddy. Against this year’s target for Bihar which is 12.5 lakh tonnes  till January 20th, 2009, only 1.55 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured. It is expected that another one or 1.5 lakh tonnes could be procured in the remaining few weeks of procurement. Thus it will be about 9 lakh tonnes below the target.

Against the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 9.50 per kilo, the farmers are being forced to sell their paddy to traders at below Rs 7.50 per kilogram. Thus for every one kilogram of paddy, a farmer is sustaining  a loss of more than Rs 2/-. It means that if the farmers are forced to sell 9 lakh tonnes to the traders, they will be losing a consolidated amount of about Rs 200 crore this year.

Media reports say that the Food Corporation of India is putting a condition of Incidental Price for giving No Objection Certificate to NAFED and NCMSL. These two agencies have been asked whether they are prepared to work on the conditions of the FCI or not.

It is also said that the FCI is not paying the bonus of Rs 50 per quintal though the state government has deposited Rs five crore with it for this purpose. Besides, Rs 10 lakh  has been deposited with  each of the agency viz Biscomaun, SFC and PACs. The Food and Consumer Protection department of Bihar has contacted the Centre for the payment of bonus to the farmers.

Of the one lakh tonnes procured till January 1 over 70,000 tonnes have been procured by the Food Corporation of India, 6,232 tonnes by the State Food Corporation, 15,296 tonnes by PACs and 4315 tonnes by Biscomaun. So far the response of the state agencies is lukewarm.

Out of the six agencies only four are engaged in the foodgrains procurement. The NAFED and NCMSL have not yet done any work.

“We  have procured at least double than last year procurement and in Bihar procurement goes till the month of March and we would definitely touch the target of procurement this year” asserted the optimist Food and civil supply Principal Secretary, Tripurari Sharan

Being aware of the grim situation Kisan Ayog Chairman Ramadhar said,” This likely shortfall would certainly have negative impact on the income of our farmers and we are keeping a close watch on the situation and getting a regular feedback from farmers.”

“The farmers are always at receiving end and how one can think that any farmer will be in queue for days to sell his paddy before procurement centres.  Kharidane ke vyvastha hi kisan virodhi hai. Dalalon ki chandi hai.”( The procedure laid down for procurement is anti farmers where  middle men are making money.) said Ram Dahin Singh a farmer from Dihuri village of Jehanabad.

The state government agencies are alleging that the FCI is putting new condition for procuring paddy. The tussle between FCI and State agencies would attribute to the loss of poor farmers of Bihar . It surprises more to know  that the state like Punjab had procured a record 129 lakh tonnes of paddy this year and in the district like Ludhiana the procurement was more than 16 lakh tonnes this year which is  more than the target fixed for Bihar.

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