Begusarai: Immediately after the formation of the new government in Bihar, big claims are being made by the government regarding the progress of farmers and paddy procurement. The DM is announcing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) sitting in his AC chamber, but the ground reality has still not changed. The middleman is getting the benefit of MSP rate. It is not we who are saying this but the farmers are saying that there is nexus between officials and middlemen along with departmental negligence.
Local 18 investigated paddy farmers and the government orders issued after the DM’s press conference in Cheriya Bariyarpur block of Begusarai. According to the order of the DM, for the Kharif marketing year 2025-26, the MSP of ordinary paddy has been fixed at Rs 2,369 per quintal and the MSP of Grade-A paddy has been fixed at Rs 2,389 per quintal. Apart from this, Bihar government has also announced an additional incentive of Rs 20 per quintal. At the same time, farmers were seen saying something else regarding this.
Paddy no longer has any value
The anger of the farmers came out openly during the ground report of Local 18. Hemant Singh, a farmer of Khanjapur village of Bariyarpur block, said angrily, ‘Paddy no longer has any value. Middlemen are not ready to pay more than Rs 14-15 per kg. There was a lot of hope from the new government, but the same old Ramayana is going on at the government level.
Chairman and manager are acting arbitrarily
Bhullu Singh, a farmer from the same block, said that he had planted paddy in the hope that he would get a good price from government procurement. He said, when he went to deliver the paddy in packs, he did not get any clear answer from there. Here even PACS and trade boards are not ready to take paddy. Middlemen are buying at Rs 14-15 per kg. Here the chairman and manager are acting arbitrarily. Even the MLA is not paying attention to this.
public attacked the government
Describing the situation as more serious, farmer Vidyasagar Mahato said, ‘The crop rate has halved and the market price is Rs 16, 15, 14 per kg. The middleman is taking the government result for half of Rs 8. Is the government dead? There is no visible arrangement or initiative from the government level. At the same time, Shriram Mahato says that he had a lot of expectations from the government, but due to non-purchase of paddy on time, farmers have become helpless. He said, ‘If there was government procurement on time, why would we go to middlemen? There is no one to listen.
Middlemen are buying paddy at Rs 14-15 per kg
Farmer Pintu Singh made serious allegations against the Paddy Trade Board. He said, ‘The Paddy Trade Board is ready to take packs, but there is no arrangement to purchase paddy. Middlemen are buying paddy at Rs 14-15 per kg. That means Rs 10 less than the government rate. There was hope from the new government, but now it has become a compulsion to become a borrower.
Farmers told that throwing paddy is a compulsion
The suffering of Baby Devi, a female farmer and member of Jeevika group, is also no less. He told, ‘We had taken loan and cultivated paddy. Thought that I would get the benefit of the government scheme, but no one is going to ask. Compulsion has reached the point of throwing away paddy.
Overall, the claims of the government and administration regarding paddy procurement in Begusarai seem to be exposed. Begusarai DM even claimed that farmers would get payment within 24 hours. Local 18’s direct question is, if you will not take the paddy, then to whom are you paying? Are PACS and trade boards buying paddy from middlemen in Begusarai? Does Begusarai DM want to defame the new government? Have many questions? To which the administration will have to answer.
