By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 16, 2017 : The farmers’ agitation in Madhya Pradesh seems to have its cascading impact in Odisha with hundreds of farmers on Thursday resorting to road blockade in Kalahandi. They were protesting against non-procurement of paddy procurement for the past three days.

More than 60 farmers’ organisations on Friday will observe a bandh in western Odisha over the Mandsaur firing. Just a day before, the farmers blocked roads at three places, including along NH 26, protesting non-procurement of paddy at the designated centres.

Rabi paddy procurement has come to a grinding halt in Kalahandi district as custom millers have stopped work for the past three days as a mark of protest against the Odisha Civil Supply Corporation (OCSC) order to stop payment of handling charges of Rs 4 per quintal paid to them.

About 60 custom millers are engaged for the rabi paddy procurement in the district. The OCSC, in its June 12 order, discontinued the handling charges paid to the custom millers for delivering the stock of rice at Rice Receiving Centre (RRC)-cum-Departmental Storage Centre (DSC) and stacking inside the godown citing that the handling charges amount to double payment.

As a result, about 2 lakh quintals of rabi paddy are yet to be procured from the farmers. About 12.51 lakh quintals of rabi paddy have already been purchased in 70 purchasing centres run by 43 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan Samanwaya Samiti (POKSSS) has announced to resort to stage road block across Western Odisha on Friday for one hour condemning killings of farmers at Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh. They are also demanding implementation of recommendations of Swaminathan Commission.