BHUBANESWAR: The state achieved a historic milestone in paddy procurement during the current kharif marketing season with purchase of 77.78 lakh tonne under the price support system of the Centre and state government.
The procurement drive which ran for nearly five months from November 15, 2025 to April 7, 2026 saw participation of 18.85 lakh farmers. During this period, the state government disbursed over Rs 23,603 crore directly to the bank account of the farmers, setting a new benchmark in procurement-linked payments. Of the total amount, the state component of Rs 5,565.59 crore was towards input subsidy to the farmers.
As per official data, the total kharif paddy procurement touched nearly 78 lakh tonne, a significant increase from around 73.45 lakh tonne recorded last year during the same period. The state government has also set a target to procure 93 lakh tonne, comprising 73 lakh tonne during kharif and 20 lakh tonne during rabi season.
To facilitate farmers, as many as 4,869 mandis were opened this season across the state. Paddy was procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal, which includes the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,369 per quintal announced by the Centre along with additional state incentives to enhance farmers’ income.
The number of registered farmers has also seen a significant rise, reflecting growing confidence in the system. Around 19.67 lakh farmers have registered under the paddy procurement automation system (P-PAS) for selling paddy under MSP in 2025-26 as against 18.55 lakh during last kharif season.
As per paddy procurement status so far, 77,78,630 tonne of paddy arrived in the mandis out of which 77,48,083 tonne have been purchased leaving 64,179 tonne in different mandis. Bargarh, Kalahandi, Ganjam and Balangir are top performers achieving 96 per cent of its target early in the season.
The central government allowed the state to extend the procurement period by seven days to ensure that the farmers who had been issued tokens and waiting to sell their stock do not suffer due to constraints at mandi level.
Cooperation minister Pradeep Bal Samanta admitted that the delay in procurement was due to low lifting by rice millers as they were facing space constraints.
A leading rice miller told TNIE that limited storage capacity had left them struggling because of the huge procurement this year coupled with last year’s stock for custom milling.
RECORD PURCHASE
Paddy procurement from Nov 15, 2025 to Apr 7, 2026
Paddy purchase increased by over 4L tonne from last year
Saw participation of 18.85 lakh farmers
Govt disbursed over Rs 23,603 crore to farmers
Bargarh, Kalahandi, Ganjam and Balangir top performers