Kerala Farmers Oppose Union Government’s Paddy Procurement Conditions

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Karshaka Sangham (Kerala unit of All India Kisan Sabha) state committee has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the unnecessary conditions introduced by the Union government regarding paddy procurement.

In Kerala, paddy is procured under the Union government's decentralised procurement scheme. The state adds its own share to the Union price and pays farmers more than what is offered in other states.

However, as per a new directive from Supply-co (Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation), the payment for procured paddy will now be made only when funds are received from the Union government under the decentralised procurement scheme. Moreover, farmers are required to sign a contract agreeing to this condition.

The farmers' union strongly condemned and said that this move will disrupt the procurement process and pave the way for large corporate entities to directly buy agricultural produce from farmers at prices of their choosing.

Even if delays occur in converting the procured paddy into rice, the resulting losses will be unfairly imposed on the farmers. This is seen as a step towards dismantling the government-controlled procurement system.

The farmers union also criticised the Kerala government’s agency, Supply-co, for issuing such a directive to farmers without adequate consultation. The statement, issued by President M. Vijayakumar and Secretary Valsan Panoli, emphasized that they have full faith in the LDF government to strongly resist the anti-farmer policies of the Union government.