Odisha to Face Statewide Bandh on January 28 as Farmers Protest Paddy Procurement Mess

Farmer organisation NKS said it had been waging sustained movements through demonstrations, sit-ins, satyagrahas and jail bharo programmes to demand remunerative prices for farm produce, dignity for farmers, and a farmer security allowance in the form of a pension. NKS convenor Akshay Kumar said these struggles had compelled the government to introduce several pro-farmer measures, including the Odisha government’s assistance of ₹800 per quintal of paddy.

However, Mr. Kumar alleged that the existing paddy procurement system had plunged into chaos, with most mandis virtually non-functional. Farmers, he said, were being forced to wait overnight as tens of quintals of harvested paddy lay unattended at procurement centres.

He pointed out that although a truck has the capacity to lift 40 quintals, procurement agencies were lifting only 10 to 20 quintals. Citing Fair Average Quality (FAQ) norms, arbitrary deductions of 4 kg to 10 kg per quintal were allegedly being imposed. “This practice is illegal and goes against the interests of the farming community,” Mr. Kumar said.

The NKS convenor also criticised the Food Supplies Minister’s recent statement that only farmers supplying up to 150 quintals of paddy would be eligible for the ₹800 input assistance, terming the decision unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee extended support to the 12-hour statewide bandh, stating that it was intended to draw attention to growing farm distress. A Congress spokesperson said party president Bhakta Charan Das had been spearheading protests across the State against policies of the Mohan Charan Majhi government that adversely affect farmers.

Responding to the bandh call, the Biju Janata Dal said it would not participate directly. “We may not formally support or participate in the bandh, but we stand with the farmers’ cause,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said, adding that the party has announced statewide protests on farmer-related issues from February 2 to 16.