Though while speaking to mediapersons he talked of record paddy production and charted out an action plan involving Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), State Food Corporation (SFC) and
Food Corporation of India (FCI) yet the figure he gave to the media suggests that the state is far behind in achieving the target. Rajak said to achieve the target the SFC had set a month-wise procurement target. It would ensure procurement of five lakh metric tonnes paddy in January, 12.5 lakh metric tonnes in February and 7.5 lakh metric tonnes in March. And if the target of 30 lakh metric tonnes fixed for procurement of paddy was not achieved then all-possible efforts would be made to reach it by April 2012.

But what he said on the 27th day of January seems to be self-contrary. Of January’s target of five lakh metric tonnes so far different agencies had been able to procure just 2.51 lakh metric tonnes, which
is just over half. Out of this PACS had procured (2.05 lakh mt), SFC (24,000 mt) directly from farmers and FCI had bought 24,450 metric tonnes paddy so far.

Rajak said The State Food Corporation (SFC) has been appointed as nodal agency for procurement
of paddy. PACS are involved to buy paddy directly from farmers. There are 6,532 PACS inviolved in procurement of paddy in Bihar and the state government had taken stringent measures to prevent middlemen from cheating farmers.

Notwithstanding the minister’s tall claim about opening of sufficient centres for buying paddy the truth is that farmers in villages are forced to make distress sale at many places in the state. One of the farmers of Samastipur district told BiharTimes: “We have sold paddy at the rate of Rs 700 per quintal to middlemen, which is much less than the Minimum Procurement Price fixed by the government. It is now these middlemen, who are selling it to the government agencies. So whatever be the claim of the state government the farmers are still not getting any benefit and the middlemen are making money.”

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