Bhubaneswar: The first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Kharif 2025–26 procurement was held at the Lok Seva Bhavan conference hall on Monday, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.
Emphasising farmer welfare, Singh Deo directed officials to prioritise ease and convenience for cultivators in the upcoming procurement season.
A key decision taken at the meeting was the construction of permanent model mandis with inter-departmental coordination to streamline the procurement process. The state government aims to complete Kharif crop procurement by end-November, with a detailed roadmap currently under preparation.
Officials reported a 29% surge in new farmer registrations over the previous year, attributed to the government’s additional Rs 800 input assistance, which has encouraged many non-paddy farmers to shift to paddy cultivation.
To strengthen post-harvest infrastructure, the government also decided to build more warehouses in collaboration with the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Cooperation Department, and the Odisha State Warehousing Corporation.
The meeting also focused on surplus rice management, including plans to: Supply broken rice to ethanol plants for fuel production, Distribute free rice to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families under various welfare schemes, Export rice to international markets.
Additionally, proposals to set up new rice mills and upgrade existing ones into hybrid facilities were discussed to enhance milling capacity.
Present at the meeting were Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta, Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Hemant Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary (Finance) Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary (Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment) Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary (Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare) Sanjay Kumar Singh, and Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Cooperation) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil.
All officials shared their insights on the state’s preparedness for a smooth and efficient procurement season.
