BHUBANESWAR : The state government has decided to start paddy procurement for the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25 from Bargarh district on November 21.
This will be the first procurement season of the BJP government which has committed to fulfilling its major poll promise of buying paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal with an input subsidy of Rs 800 - one of the highest subsidy support by a state to farmers in the country under the minimum support price regime.
A five-member ministerial level sub-committee under the chairmanship of deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Monday finalised the procurement modalities.
“The BJP government is going to create another history. An additional financial support Rs 800 per quintal of paddy will be given to farmers over and above the minimum support price of Rs 2,300 announced by the Centre. The sub-committee discussed measures to be adopted at mandi (paddy purchase centre) level to make the entire procurement foolproof and hassle-free for the farmers,” Revenue minister Suresh Pujari told mediapersons after the meeting.
While the panel has proposed to start procurement from November 21, the procurement committee of Bargarh district in its meeting on Tuesday will take a call on the date to start the operations.
“In order to ensure transparency in paddy procurement, it was decided that the authorised officials will be present at mandis till completion of the process. They will report to the government on daily basis through a dedicated portal,” Pujari said.
He said a supervisor will be in charge of four to five mandis. Each mandi will have a quality testing machine so that fair average quality (FAQ) of paddy can be assessed properly. This will end the unethical practice of ‘katni chatni’. The Transport department will inspect the paddy transportation from mandis to rice mills.
Time lapse of online token issued to farmers was another important issue discussed at the meeting.
Responding to queries, Pujari said, CCTV cameras will be installed at strategic places on border districts to ensure that paddy is not transported from neighbouring states for sale at the mandis. Patrolling will be intensified in border districts and collectors have been asked to take appropriate measures in this regard.
Earlier, the farmers had to run from pillar to post for renewal of their tokens. Now, the district collectors have been empowered to renew lapsed tokens, he said.
The All Odisha Rice Millers’ Association (AORMA) announced that they will not participate in the custom milling of rice during the kharif marketing season 2024-25 as their demands have not been fulfilled by the state government.
General secretary of the association Laxminarayan Deepak Ranjan Das said the new food and procurement policy, operational guidelines for paddy purchase and agreement with custom millers of Odisha State Civil Supplies Association (OSCSC) for the current KMS were against the interest of the millers. Even after repeated communications with the authorities, the critical issues raised by the rice millers regarding custom milling charges, transportation rates and other operational concerns have not been addressed.