Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to commence kharif paddy procurement this Wednesday at a mandi in Sohela, Bargarh district, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurating the process in a ceremonial event.
Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister K V Singh Deo shared this announcement while addressing the media in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
He revealed that the Chief Minister would lead a grand procession to the mandi, marking the start of the season’s procurement activities.
The government has already completed issuing slips to farmers eligible to sell their produce at the mandi. For transparency, each farmer receives a slip, while a duplicate is retained by the authorities, Singh Deo explained.
Addressing concerns over allegations of katni chhatni (unfair deductions), Singh Deo emphasized that procurement officials have been instructed to exercise strict vigilance.
Only minimal deductions will be applied in cases of low Fair Average Quality (FAQ) or high moisture content in the paddy, he assured.
