Bhubaneswar: As many as 17,637 acres of land and 18,478 farmers have been removed from the paddy procurement system during the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025–26 after the land was found to be government land, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra informed the state assembly on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by Congress leader and Bhawanipatna MLA Sagar Charan Das, the minister said the state government has adopted strict verification measures to prevent illegal or infiltrated entries in the paddy procurement process.
Patra said 100 per cent field verification and validation of paddy-growing fields are being carried out using satellite imagery, which is cross-checked with the land details registered by farmers.
He further stated that the digital crop survey data under the AgriStack platform is being used as a second layer of verification through API integration to ensure transparency and accuracy in the procurement system.
During the ongoing Kharif season of KMS 2025–26, authorities identified 17,637 acres of land registered for procurement as government land, leading to the removal of 18,478 farmers from the procurement fold, the minister added.
