Massive protests were seen by aggrieved farmers in Khurdha, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Ganjam and Keonjhar

By Akshaya Patnaik

Bhadrak/Jajpur/ Keonjhar, Jan. 19: Hundreds of farmers in Odisha on Thursday took to the streets and dumped paddy on the roads as a mark of the protests against Katni Chatni in paddy procurement. ‘Katni Chhatni’ is a local colloquial Odia term which implies deduction of a certain quantity of  farm produce by the procurer to adjust for possible moisture content and damage of the grains.

In Odisha, the state government procures paddy from farmers at mandis (procurement centres) at a minimum support price of Rs 2,040 per quintal. However, the procurement centres allegedly deduct between 5 kg to 10 kg paddy from each 100-kg back in the name of Katni Chhati, thus forcing the farmers to suffer a loss of around Rs 250 in every 100 kg paddy they sell at mandis. 

Massive protests were seen by the aggrieved farmers in Khurdha, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Ganjam and Keonjhar districts. They peasants were seen carrying sacks of paddy on tractors and bullock-carts and dumping them on roads leading to important government establishments like offices of district collectors and supply inspectors.

Reports from Jagatsinghpur said farmers poured paddy in front of the District Collector’s office in protest against Katni Chhatni. Similar protest was also seen in Jajpur district as farmers put paddy sacks at the residential office of the collector.

Moreover, the farmers threw paddy in front of the Collectorates in Keonjhar and Bhadrak.

The protesting farmers alleged that katni chhatni at mandis had broken their financial backbone. They added that the illegal practice has come as a double whammy for them as they are already reeling under the token problem.

The farmers have also demanded an increase in minimum support price (MSP) and alleged indifference of the government towards the issue.

“Farmers are pushed to distress sale for a long time. They are unable to meet the production cost. In March 2017, it was unanimously proposed in the Odisha Assembly that farmers should be given Rs 2,950 per quintal of paddy in view of expenditure of Rs 2,344 per quintal. Neither did we get the MSP, nor the bonus. Farmers are being exploited by Katni Chhatni. The government-run mandis are being forced to agree to the demand of deduction of 5 to 10 kilograms in every quintal of paddy they want to sell. In fact, the plight of farmers is multiplying day by day. Their children are forced to become migrant labourers,” alleged farmer leader Seshadeb Nanda.

Bilasini Mahanta, a woman farmer from Keonjhar said, “Though we take fresh paddy to the mandi, 5-7 kg per quintal is deducted by the authorities. Therefore, we spilled our paddy in front of the Collector’s so that people can know how the government is exploiting the farmers.”