BHUBANESWAR: Dilip Routrai, the collector of Bhadrak district, conducted an undercover inspection at several paddy purchase centres (mandis) while dressed in casual attire consisting of short trousers, a t-shirt, and a towel draped over his shoulders like a farmer, uncovering irregularities in paddy procurement.
His incognito crackdown, which occurred on Saturday, came to public attention after video footage of his operation emerged on Monday. Routrai issued a show cause notice to the secretary of a primary agricultural cooperative society (PACS) at Katasahi under Dhamnagar block for allegedly exploiting farmers and purchasing paddy below the govt-fixed minimum support price (MSP).
The Odisha govt provides Rs 3,100, which includes input assistance of Rs 800 per quintal paddy in addition to the MSP of Rs 2,300.
“A meeting was already held with secretaries of all the agricultural societies to ensure that the farmers are not put to loss in the guise of non-FAQ (fair average quality) norm of paddy. The collector personally visited your paddy purchase centre, disguising himself as a farmer to verify the allegation of katni-chhatni (slashing of MSP) in your mandi. The allegations made against your PACS were found to be true,” the show cause notice read. Sources indicate the secretary might face suspension.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently conducted a review meeting in Bhubaneswar, instructing officials to hasten paddy procurement, resolve farmers’ issues promptly, and monitor potential exploitation by middlemen. Food supplies minister Krushna Chandra Patra cautioned rice mill owners about severe penalties for directly purchasing paddy from farmers. This warning followed reports of some millers buying paddy directly at approximately half the enhanced MSP of Rs 3,100 per quintal.
The kharif marketing season’s paddy procurement commenced in Bargarh district on November 20. Officials discovered that rice miller agents became active across districts, exploiting financially stressed farmers and deterring them from selling their paddy at mandis. In December, the state recorded five farmer fatalities (suicides and heart attacks) following crop damage due to unseasonal rain.