A wave of protest has engulfed the polder networks of north Kuttanad in Kottayam with several of the farmers here still awaiting the paddy procured during the ongoing season.
As per estimates by the farmer organisations, the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) procured about 37,666 tonnes of paddy from 12,361 hectares in the district. Of the total amount of ₹106.67 crore to be disbursed to 9,443 farmers, only ₹31.77 crore has been distributed to 3,694 farmers till now.
The delay in paying up the dues, according to farmers, is severely affecting preparations for the upcoming season. With the harvest season almost nearing completion across the region, farmers have already started to lay the groundwork for cultivating the monsoon crop and with no money for farming, they are being forced to approach the private money lenders.
Irked by the inordinate delay in clearing the dues, a group of paddy farmers under the aegis of Karshaka Congress on Tuesday laid siege in front of the office of the district paddy marketing officer. District Congress Committee president Nattakom Suresh inaugurated the protest, which commenced around 11 a.m.
Officials with the paddy marketing office in Kottayam said payment dues up to March 28 had been distributed so far while the process came to an abrupt halt due to shortage of funds. They, however, pegged the payment dues at around ₹24.89 crore. “All applications till March 28 have been cleared and the procurement process is still on,” said an official.
The matter was soon briefed to Agriculture Minister P. Prasad and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil over phone and the protests were withdrawn following assurances by the Ministers that the dues would be cleared without further delay.
Official sources said efforts were being made to procure loan from a consortium of banks to clear the dues. “Although a decision in this regard was made at the government level, there is a procedural delay involved receiving the amount from the banks,” explained one official.
