Ganjam farmers race against time to meet kharif deadline

 register for selling their produce.

The ongoing registration process, which began on July 15 and ends on August 15, has compounded their difficulties. Due to erratic rainfall and lack of irrigation, paddy transplantation in the district has been delayed, with only 30 per cent of the work completed so far.

As of August 6, only 58,531 farmers had registered out of a target of 1.5 lakh, compared to 1.46 lakh registrations last year.

The district, which has over 4.5 lakh farmers, including many sharecroppers, is seeing a lower-than-expected registration rate, partly due to the exclusion of sharecroppers from the process.

Simanchal Nahak, secretary of the Rayat Mahasabha, criticised the district administration for not addressing the needs of sharecroppers, who are forced to sell their paddy to traders from other states. He said, “This issue has persisted since the introduction of online registration, which requires landowner permission—something many sharecroppers struggle to obtain. Over 60 per cent of landowners in the district use sharecroppers, yet they benefit from crop loss compensation and government paddy sales while sharecroppers are left out.”

Despite recent rainfall due to low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, many farmers said they are busy with their fields and find it difficult to complete the registration process, especially with the bureaucratic hurdles involved.

The Rayat Mahasabha has appealed to the Governor, chief minister, and Agriculture minister to extend the registration deadline and allow sharecroppers to register. They also demand the opening of paddy purchasing centres (PPC) in every village and the construction of warehouses with necessary facilities.

The Mahasabha has also called for display of registered farmers’ lists in panchayat and samiti houses to ensure transparency.

District administration sources said they are taking steps to support farmers, and an extension of the registration deadline is possible, as was done last year. However, the current norms are set by the state government, and it is up to the officials to decide.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.