Light paddy harvest picks up in Lakhandur, but government procurement centres yet to open
Farmers in Lakhandur taluka are cutting early-variety paddy but have nowhere official to sell it, as basic-price purchase centres have not started.
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Harvesting of early-variety paddy has begun in Lakhandur taluka. The rain has held off for the past few days, so work in the fields is moving fast. Farmers are busy bringing home the crop they raised with great effort, but the government's minimum support price paddy procurement centres have not yet opened. They are now left asking where to sell their paddy.
In the fields around Dighori (Mothi), cutting and threshing can be seen from morning till evening. With harvesting starting everywhere at once, villages are facing a severe shortage of labourers. Given higher wages and the need to save time, many farmers are using combine harvesters. Pests and disease have had a relatively smaller impact this year, so farmers expect a satisfactory yield of early paddy.
Though the harvest season has begun, the government procurement centres have not opened. As a result, farmers are unsure where to sell paddy that has been cut and is ready for threshing. It is the festival season, and the expenses of the coming rabi season are also looming. Farmers need to sell the paddy in hand on time to arrange money.
Mahendra Chimankar, a farmer from Dighori (Mothi), said the early paddy has been cut and is ready for threshing, but government godowns and procurement centres remain closed. According to him, if the centres are delayed, farmers will be forced to sell paddy to private traders at a low price.
Paddy growers are now looking to the government's guaranteed price and a possible bonus. The harvest season is advancing quickly. If the government centres are delayed, farmers may have to depend on the private market. There is therefore a demand that the administration complete the process for the procurement centres quickly and give farmers relief.
Delay in government procurement is feared to have a direct bearing on farmers' financial planning. The difference between the price traders offer in the market and the government's basic rate will matter greatly to them. It is hoped, therefore, that the government centres open on time and the paddy fetches a fair price.
