Odisha govt raises kharif paddy procurement target to 77 lakh tonne

Singh Deo said the process of paddy procurement has become more transparent and successful as deputy chief ministers,
Image used for representational purposes only
Image used for representational purposes onlyFile Photo | Vinay Madapu
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BHUBANESWAR : The Group of Ministers on paddy procurement has approved enhancement of purchase target to 77 lakh tonne from 65 lakh tonne for the ongoing kharif season.

The decision was taken at the GoM meeting presided over by deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo on Friday. Singh Deo said with the government providing additional input assistance of Rs 800 over the minimum support price of Rs 2,300 per quintal, more and more farmers are coming forward to sell their paddy at the mandis. The decision to increase the target will benefit a large number of farmers, he said.

Singh Deo said the process of paddy procurement has become more transparent and successful as deputy chief ministers, ministers and senior officials are visiting the districts and directly monitoring the process. He also suggested that early steps should be taken for the purchase of paddy in the upcoming Rabi season.

Principal secretary, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department, Sanjay Kumar Singh said, so far, more than 46.36 lakh tonne of paddy has been procured from over 9.77 lakh farmers. Nearly Rs 10,000 crore as MSP and `3,500 crore as input assistance have already been transferred to the farmers’ accounts.

Keeping in view the interest of the farmers, 3,883 nodal officers have been deployed with CCTV system in the mandis. In addition, 217 enforcement squads have been formed to keep a close watch on unscrupulous activities as well as checking paddy vehicles coming from outside the state, he said.

Singh said complaints related to the sale of paddy including tokens, input support, MSP, etc., are being resolved expeditiously through the command control centre at Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation. He said 4,15,267 calls have been received and resolved through toll-free no 1967.

Other members of the GoM, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Co-operation minister Pradeep Bal Samanta, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja and other senior officials were present.

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