BHUBANESWAR:Ahead of the formulation of food and procurement policy for Kharif marketing season (KMS) 2018-19, the State Government has sought views of all stakeholders to make paddy procurement foolproof by ensuring minimum support price to farmers. As the kharif marketing season will start from October 1, the State Government will prepare a broad guidelines for procurement of food grains with an institutional mechanism for proper implementation of the support price system.
“It is required to complete all formalities for procurement of paddy before commencement of next kharif marketing season. The statekeholders need to propose their suggestions on policy changes much in advance in connection with the preparation of Food and Procurement policy for KMS 2018-19,” said an official communication from the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department.
The letter addressed to district collectors, general manager of Food Corporation of India, Managing Director of Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, managing directors of MARKFED and Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TDCC) has asked them to send their views on policy changes, if any, by June 30.
Odisha is one among the 15 States in the country to adopt decentralised procurement system for paddy procurement and distribution of resultant rice under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and other welfare schemes. The surplus rice is supplied to Food Corporation of India (FCI) for distribution among deficit States.
The State has pioneered paddy procurement automation system (P-PAS), a digital platform, under which minimum support price is directly paid to the account of the registered farmers.The State Civil Supplies Corporation procure about 95 per cent of the paddy from farmers through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) while the balance five per cent is procured by two state agencies - Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation and TDCC.It is required to complete all formalities for procurement of paddy before commencement of next kharif marketing season Department sources