Farmers in Dang Sell Paddy Below Support Price for Festival Cash

Growers in Dang are selling their newly harvested paddy below the official support price established by the authorities. Farmers state they are compelled to accept lower rates because they lack adequate storage space at home and urgently need cash to manage festival expenses. According to the accounts of local cultivators, buyers within the villages are purchasing the produce at rates ranging between 500 and 600 rupees less per quintal than expected. Some individuals reported selling their grain directly from the fields to local traders at three thousand rupees per quintal. One farmer explained that despite hearing about high government purchase prices each year, local producers have never actually been able to sell their crops at those rates. Due to weather conditions linked to a recent storm system, many residents operated threshers overnight to ready their grain for immediate sale. Most of the individuals affected are middle and lower-income cultivators who rely on quickly offloading their harvest to finance upcoming celebrations. Officials noted that the combination of inadequate storage options and immediate financial obligations leaves these growers with little choice but to accept reduced rates from local merchants.