Bhubaneswar: The paddy procurement process is gaining momentum in Odisha, with advance tokens issued to farmers in four more districts – Balasore, Nayagarh, Gajapati, and Kandhamal. Procurement will begin in these districts from December 29-31, with minimum facilities like temporary sheds, drinking water, and toilets arranged in the mandis.
The procurement schedule is as follows: Balasore and Nayagarh on December 29, Gajapati on December 30, and Kandhamal on December 31.
Tokens have been issued to 65,273 farmers in Balasore, 28,723 farmers in Nayagarh, 10,112 farmers in Gajapati, and 3,176 farmers in Kandhamal.
CCTV cameras are installed, and officers are deployed to supervise the process. Procurement is already underway in 12 districts, with 630,438 metric tonnes of paddy collected from 1,41,381 farmers. Farmers have received Rs. 919 crore as minimum support price and Rs. 283 crore as input assistance.
