Jagran correspondent, Moradabad. In the current season of paddy procurement, the picture of government procurement in Moradabad district seems to be divided into two parts. On one hand, the agencies associated with the Cooperative Department are facing shortage of sacks and have to struggle for fortified rice (FRK), while on the other hand, the Food and Logistics Department has claimed to have achieved 80 percent of the target on paper.
So far, about 46 thousand quintals of paddy has been shown purchased at the food department's purchasing center located in Kanth sub-market, but the ground reality is far from relief for the farmers. Same is the condition of other centers of the food department. Farmers associated with Thakurdwara Mandi area say that even after registration, they are neither getting the weight on time nor the assurance of payment.
The big problem is that at many purchasing centers connected to the market, the online addresses of the farmers from whom paddy is being purchased are not being shown. Someone's address has been registered as R, someone's OK, someone's double zero. Due to this the verification and payment process has come to a standstill.
Farmers allege that genuine farmers are being excluded from procurement by making excuses like mismatch and address not being updated, while purchase of paddy in huge quantities is being recorded on paper. Terai Kisan Union leader Mohammed Khalid alleged that instead of actual weighing, artificial procurement was being done at many centres.
He says that maximum complaints are being received against Marketing Inspector Vipin Srivastava, Raghavendra Kumar, Bhagwat Swaroop, Samarpal, Deepak Kumar and Alok Ranjan associated with Buffer Warehouse. Khalid says that the procurement is being done on paper, the farmer is wandering in the market.
Shamim Ahmed, a farmer from Naushena Sheikhupur, said that the address of more than one-third of the farmers in whose name purchases are being shown at the purchasing centers is not registered in the online system. If the paddy purchase is investigated, the whole reality will come out. According to the procurement summary of the Food and Logistics Department, Uttar Pradesh, in the Kharif marketing year 2025-26, the Food Department has so far purchased 55,455.65 tonnes of paddy from 9222 farmers in Moradabad district.
In comparison, payment of more than Rs 132.48 crore has been shown in the figures. If we look at the daily procurement figures, procurement of more than 1400 to 1500 tonnes has been recorded on many days, whereas farmer organizations claim that there was not that much arrival in the mandis in those days. This contradiction is raising questions on the entire system.
The condition of cooperative agencies is worst
Farmer leaders say that the situation is even worse at the centers of PCU and PCF, agencies associated with the cooperative department. Due to non-availability of bags, procurement has come to a complete halt at many centres. Farmers are reaching the centers with trolleys, but due to non-availability of bags they have to return without getting weighed.
There are serious allegations against UPSS also. Farmers and commission agents say that UPSS has procured more paddy than the target only on paper, while the agency is proving to be a laggard in dispatching paddy and rice. Due to non-availability of paddy to warehouses and mills, doubt has deepened on the entire procurement cycle. Due to online address error, farmers also fear that their payment may get stuck.
Paddy procurement is being done through a completely transparent process. Due to technical reasons, there has been a problem related to online address at some centres, which is being rectified. Instructions have been given to increase the availability of sacks and speed up payment. If any irregularity is found, action will be taken.
- Durgesh Prasad, Divisional Food Marketing Officer, Moradabad
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