Paddy procurement has come to a halt at the Tukla mandi under Khariar block in Nuapada district, where approximately 2,500 bags of harvested paddy have been lying unattended for over a week. The mandi serves farmers from Tukla and Risi gram panchayats, who rely on timely lifting of their produce to avoid spoilage and financial strain.
So far, 45,338 quintals of paddy belonging to 949 farmers have been lifted from the mandi. However, the remaining stock has been piling up due to disruptions in the procurement process. Initially, operations slowed down because of the absence of labourers on January 1 and Paush Purnima. The situation further deteriorated with the ongoing agitation by rice millers, which has halted paddy lifting across several areas, including Tukla.
Farmers at the mandi expressed frustration and anxiety over the delay.One farmer said:
“My produce has been lying here for days even though my token was for December 20. I brought 75 quintals. Many farmers have family events like marriages coming up, and we depend on mandis. Cows are grazing on the paddy, so we are forced to stay here day and night. The government must talk to the millers and solve this.”
With no immediate solution in sight, farmers now fear that their procurement tokens may lapse, leaving them unable to sell their produce and pushing them into financial hardship.
PACS authorities acknowledged that the delay is directly linked to the millers’ strike. The PACS secretary assured farmers that once the agitation ends, all pending paddy at the mandi will be lifted without fail.
