Bhubaneswar, Dec 3 (IANS) Food, Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Wednesday said the state government has streamlined the paddy procurement system in Odisha to make it clean and transparent, ensuring timely purchase at government-fixed price, swift payment of farmers’ dues, and prompt resolution of farmers’ grievances.
In response to an adjournment motion moved by Opposition BJD leaders in the Odisha Assembly, Patra told the House that the state government is committed to making this season’s paddy procurement process transparent, farmer-oriented, and effective across the state.
The Minister informed the House that the Chief Minister has assigned ministers to various districts to address farmers’ grievances and oversee the procurement process.
He further added that the registration period in this Kharif session was extended to ensure no farmer is left out. As many as 19.68 lakh farmers have registered to sell paddy, significantly exceeding last year’s figures.
Sharing details of the steps taken for a smooth and transparent procurement process, the Minister stated that farmers are required to complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC during registration, and arrangements have been made to ensure seamless delivery of MSP and Input Assistance benefits. Patra revealed that in the previous Kharif season (2024-25), 1,27,58,953 plots covering 58.14 lakh acres were registered for paddy procurement.
In the current season (2025-26), this has increased to 1,38,47,796 plots covering 61.67 lakh acres. He added that so far in the current Kharif, 2,712 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, 416 Women SHGs in 19 districts, and 6 panchayats in 3 districts have participated in the procurement process. Awareness campaigns were organized regarding Fair Average Quality (FAQ) norms and Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy.
Although procurement was delayed for a few days due to unseasonal rains, 2,94,569 tokens have been distributed to farmers, and a total of 4,110 quintals of paddy have been procured in the districts of Bargarh, Kalahandi, and Sambalpur.
To prevent ‘Katni Chatni (deduction of farmers’ produce)’, all types of grain testing machines have been provided at procurement centres.
Additionally, 303 AI-based Grain Analyzers have been supplied to make the testing process faster and more accurate. For farmers’ convenience, 140 modern mobile paddy cleaning machines have been provided to convert non-FAQ paddy into FAQ paddy, and Quality Analysts have been appointed to expedite the quality testing process.
–IANS
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