As paddy procurement in Chhattisgarh enters its final phase, the functioning of procurement societies has emerged as a major concern for farmers across the state. In several districts, slow lifting of procured paddy has led to congestion at purchase centres, while the issuance of tokens to farmers has reportedly been halted, triggering widespread dissatisfaction.
Farmers allege that despite completing multiple verification stages, they are being subjected to fresh physical inspections, causing unnecessary delays. The repeated checks, they say, are pushing many cultivators into distress, with the risk of stored paddy deteriorating increasing by the day.
Farmers Question Repeated Verification Process
According to farmers, the procurement process already involves several layers of scrutiny. These include land record verification (girdawari), random inspections by patwaris, registration on the Agri-Stack portal, carry-forward entries at cooperative societies, and completion of online formalities before reaching procurement centres.
However, in the final stage, society managers and agriculture extension officers are conducting fresh physical verification before issuing tokens, which farmers say is unjustified. They claim the lack of clear instructions has allowed society officials to delay token issuance.
In Raipur district, farmers protested when officials from the Khauni procurement society arrived to conduct physical verification at grain storage sites. Similar unrest was reported in Kondagaon district, where farmers blocked a highway for nearly three kilometres to protest the suspension of procurement.
Procurement Timeline and Government Claims
Paddy procurement for the Kharif marketing season 2025–26 began on November 15, 2025, and is scheduled to conclude on January 31. More than 2.2 million farmers are registered across the state.
The state government maintains that procurement is being carried out in a transparent and digitally monitored manner through 2,740 procurement centres.
Officials Assure Resolution
Jitendra Shukla, Managing Director of the Chhattisgarh Cooperative Marketing Federation, said that paddy procurement is continuing uninterrupted until the deadline.
“All eligible farmers will be covered. District collectors have been instructed to closely monitor the process and ensure normalcy at procurement centres,” he stated.
Large-Scale Paddy Seizures Raise Questions
Meanwhile, enforcement actions have uncovered significant irregularities. In Janjgir-Champa district, the Food Department seized over 56,000 bags of illegally stored paddy from Shri Hari Rice Mill in Negurdih village. The seized stock weighed more than 22,500 quintals, with an estimated market value of nearly ₹7 crore.
In Surajpur district, a raid at a poultry farm in Chandora village led to the seizure of paddy worth approximately ₹1.25 crore.
Bemetara Paddy Scam Worth ₹17 Crore
A major discrepancy has surfaced in Bemetara district, where inspections at the Sarda and Lejawara storage centres revealed that 53,639 quintals of paddy were missing. While records indicated that over 65,000 quintals should have been present, only about 11,600 quintals were found.
District Food Officer Omkar Singh Thakur confirmed the shortfall, estimating the value of the missing stock at around ₹17 crore. District Marketing Officer Nisha Fyuk stated that lifting of old paddy is still underway and that centre in-charges have been removed as part of administrative action. She added that the actual situation would be clearer once the lifting process is completed.
