The Bengal government’s celebratory mood over procuring paddy in huge quantities from across the state has proved to be shortlived with Nabanna receiving complaints from some districts that the benefits of minimum support price (MSP) had not reached farmers.
“The state government has procured 47 lakh tonnes of paddy till date, at least 2 lakh tonnes higher than the same period last year. But this success has come under the scanner as complaints have cropped up in some districts that the procurement process was faulty and farmers did not get the benefit,” said a senior official.
The complaints, which hurt the aim of the exercise, have rattled the top brass of the government.
The state government had set a target to procure about 55 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers to run its free foodgrain scheme that covers almost 8.5 crore people.
This apart, bringing more farmers under the procurement cover helps the ruling establishment to keep the farmers in good humour, particularly ahead of rural polls, sources said.
“The procurement programme has other benefits too. As the farmers get proper price for their produce, they invest more in the next season, boosting the local economy and overall farm productivity. This is why the state government is worried about the complaints,” said a senior bureaucrat.
The food and supplies department has set up inquiry teams to look into the complaints from Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri. More teams will be formed to go over complaints from other districts.
According to sources, complaints have come up that some people used only one bank account to get money after paddy sale, or more than one account was used by one person to get money after selling paddy. “If the complaints are true, these are gross irregularities and hint at original beneficiaries not getting the benefit. If the farmers don’t benefit, it impacts rural areas,” said a source.
An official explained that such irregularities can take place if middlemen buy paddy from farmers at a cheap rate and sell the produce to the government by securing the MSP.
“As the MSP for paddy is Rs 2,040 a quintal and the market price varies between Rs 1,700 and Rs 1,900, many traders buy paddy from farmers and sell it to the government for a profit.... Hence, farmers don’t get MSP...,” said a bureaucrat.
Such irregularities do not bode well for the ruling party.
“The complaints are deemed serious as rural polls are approaching. This is the reason why the food and supplies department has been asked to develop a foolproof system to ensure farmers get MSP,” said a minister.
The state government is also keen to avoid a snowball effect, sources said.
“The Centre gives a handsome portion of funds for the procurement of paddy. If the Centre stops releasing funds for procurement, citing irregularities like it did in the case of the MGNREGS, Bengal’s farmers will be in real trouble,” said an official.