TEZPUR, March 7 - Farmers in Sonitpur district have been able to get adequate price for their produce.
It is to be mentioned here that since paddy cultivation is the major cultivation for most of the farmers, every year in Sonitpur district, quintals of paddy is produced by the farmers. However, a section of progressive farmers felt that even though due to the hard labour of the farmers,�a good amount of paddy is produced in each season, they are often demoralized as they did not get adequate prices against their produce.
Meanwhile, expressing satisfaction over the ongoing paddy procurement process by the ASAMB and FCI, the farmers said that this time they have benefited a lot as they are getting adequate prices.
On the other hand, Swapan Das, district nodal officer, Sonitpur, Assam State Agricultural and Marketing Board, while interacting with this reporter informed that this is the fifth year of purchasing of paddy�from the farmers through the paddy procurement process. �The farmers are getting Rs 1470 per quintal against common paddy during the�kharif marketing season 2016-17,� said Swapan Das adding that the target of purchasing of 10,000 quintals of paddy has been filled up. He also said the there are altogether three PPCs that are in Dhekiajuli, Barchala and Gohpur.
Under the initiative of public representatives respectively, Dhekiajuli MLA, Ashok Singhal, Sootea MLA, Padma Hazarika and Utpal Bora these PPCs besides purchasing paddy, farmer awareness programmes are also being organised at all the panchayats to make the farmers aware on the gradation of paddy and on how to check the �middle-man� problem.�
Meanwhile, another official of the department, Ritik Barman, said that because of this process the price of the paddy is rising benefiting the farmers.
