Bhubaneswar: Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo emphasized the need to streamline and enhance the efficiency of paddy procurement while addressing the District Collectors’ conference at Lok Seva Bhavan on Friday.
Singh Deo outlined key measures to ease the process, including allowing farmers to sell their paddy in mandis of neighboring districts if procurement in their own district is not possible. He stressed that the registration of procured paddy should be done online, and GPS tracking will be used to monitor vehicles transporting paddy, ensuring transparency and preventing tampering.
Singh Deo further noted that millers are responsible for providing farmers with gunny bags and jute twine. He also announced that 58 new cold storage facilities will soon be established in the state for the preservation of crops. The Minister encouraged farmers to diversify beyond a single crop and engage in organic multi-crop farming.
To assist farmers, the Agriculture Department has developed the AGRI STACK App, which will contain registration data of farmers and their agricultural land. All landowners with a Record of Rights (RoR) can register on the app, and data from the government’s digital crop survey will be integrated into it.
Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Commissioner cum Secretary of the Cooperative Department, detailed the measures taken to support farmers, including the deployment of Nodal Officers and Supervisors to oversee operations at each mandi.
Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta urged District Collectors to take strict action against millers and middlemen depriving farmers of the government-set price of Rs 3,100 per quintal. He also called for the preparation of additional warehouses for grain storage, as a total of 4,006 mandis, ranging from small to large, will be involved in the upcoming kharif season procurement.
Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra praised the government’s initiatives in support of farmers and announced that paddy procurement would begin within the next two months. He issued a stern warning against any deductions by middlemen in the procurement process.
Principal Secretary of Cooperation, Vir Vikram Yadav, revealed that the state aims to collect one crore metric tonnes of paddy across both Kharif and Rabi seasons this year, representing a 25% increase from previous years.
Yadav advised District Collectors to complete the verification of farmers’ accounts a week before procurement begins to avoid any errors in bonus or sale value payments. He also stressed the need to raise awareness among farmers to ensure higher-quality paddy is brought to the market.
