Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of Akshaya Trutiya and State-level Farmers’ Day, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday announced a series of major initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s agriculture sector, including the disbursal of ₹838.48 crore to over 41.68 lakh farmers under the CM-Kisan Yojana.
The announcements were made at a state-level programme held at the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack, where the Chief Minister also performed the traditional ‘Akhi Muthi’ ritual after a ceremonial Bhumi Puja, marking the beginning of the new agricultural year.
As part of efforts to ensure timely access to quality seeds, Majhi launched the “Ama Bihana Ratha” (Seeds on Wheels) initiative. The programme will roll out in its first phase across 31 blocks in 10 districts, providing improved paddy seed varieties in 5-kg packets at the gram panchayat level. He also inaugurated ‘Krushi Ratha’ and visited an agricultural exhibition at the venue.
Highlighting the government’s focus on farmer welfare, the Chief Minister said financial assistance under the CM-Kisan Yojana for the 2026 Kharif season has been directly transferred to beneficiaries through DBT. Of the total recipients, over 41.24 lakh are small and marginal farmers, while 41,049 belong to landless families and 3,292 to tribal households.
Majhi noted that Odisha’s agricultural growth rate has reached 5.3 per cent in the past 22 months, surpassing the national average. He added that foodgrain production in the state has crossed 150 lakh metric tonnes this year, setting a new record.
Emphasising price support, he said the state is procuring paddy at ₹3,100 per quintal. For the 2025-26 Kharif season, 76.47 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been procured from over 18.55 lakh farmers, with ₹5,589.98 crore provided as input assistance.
The Chief Minister also highlighted ongoing initiatives such as the Krushi Vidyanidhi Scholarship Scheme, under which 68,910 students from farming families have received over ₹291.60 crore in the 2025-26 academic year. He said the government is promoting organic farming through the “Balabhadra Jaibik Chasa Mission” and scaling up millet production under the Shree Anna Abhiyan.
Referring to national agricultural reforms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Majhi said the ‘Beej Se Bazar’ (Seed to Market) approach is being implemented to improve farm productivity and market access. He added that infrastructure projects such as cold storages and warehouses are being developed under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Centre for including Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Sundargarh and Nuapada districts under the PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana.
Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, addressing the gathering, described farmers as the backbone of the state’s economy and urged them to purchase fertilisers only from authorised dealers using Aadhaar authentication and POS-generated receipts to ensure transparency.
Several public representatives, including MPs and MLAs from Cuttack and nearby constituencies, along with senior officials, attended the programme.
