Paddy procurement across Odisha has been severely affected as the agitation by rice millers intensified following the failure of recent talks between the state government and millers. The disruption has stalled procurement operations for the second consecutive day, leaving thousands of bags of paddy lying unsold in mandis across the state.
Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta on Tuesday alleged that the agitation was being “managed by external forces” with the intention of putting the state government in a difficult position during the ongoing procurement season. Speaking to the media, the Minister said that while the government is making sincere efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue, deliberations are still ongoing and no agreement has been reached so far.
The Minister further claimed that the four-point charter of demands raised by the millers lacks substantial justification and suggested that the agitation is being fuelled by external instigation to exert pressure on the government. “Negotiations are still underway, but no conclusion has been reached yet. The demands of the millers do not appear to be genuine,” he said.
Meanwhile, as part of their protest, millers have stopped lifting paddy from mandis, resulting in mounting distress among farmers. Thousands of bags of harvested paddy remain unsold, and many farmers face the risk of their sale tokens expiring if procurement does not resume soon.
Despite the standoff, the Food Supplies Department continues to hold discussions with millers, and the Cooperation Minister expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved at the earliest. However, no immediate response has been received from the millers’ association regarding the Minister’s allegations.
