BHUBANESWAR : With less than a month to go for the first kharif marketing season under BJP rule and farmers set to get the enhanced price of Rs 3,100 per quintal, the Odisha government is wary of influx of paddy from neighbouring states due to the lucrative price on offer.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday directed the officials of different departments and collectors of bordering districts to intensify surveillance for preventing any such unwarranted activity. CCTVs and smart cameras will be installed at border roads and enforcement squads deployed for round-the-clock monitoring of all the vehicles entering the state.
Odisha now offers the highest support price for paddy and thus chances of the produce entering from neighbouring states is high. The chief minister while taking note of the possibilities asked everyone to be vigilant and ensure the state’s farmers are not affected by it.
Taking a review of the preparations for procurement of paddy in the kharif marketing season, technically beginning from November 1, Majhi also outlined a slew of measures to make the process transparent and hassle-free for the farmers.
Paddy procurement in the state has regularly been mired in complaints of rampant irregularities, exploitation of farmers and corruption. Cleansing the procurement system and making it transparent and farmer-friendly had been a major poll promise of the BJP apart from the Rs 3,100 per quintal support price for the farmers.
Majhi warned officials that irregularities in any form during paddy procurement will not be tolerated. “The government’s decision to pay an additional Rs 800 per quintal bonus over and above the minimum support price has generated tremendous enthusiasm among the farmers.
To ensure the procurement process is transparent, one minister will oversee one or two districts as observer and serve as one-point-contact for the government. Ministers will visit mandis, listen to farmers’ problems and address them on the spot. Departments concerned will work in coordination with district collectors,” he emphasised.
The chief minister directed the Cooperation department to deploy one officer per mandi for smooth management of the procurement process. There will be one supervisor for every four to five mandis. A central dashboard will monitor all activities. Assistance of Quality Council of India will be taken for paddy procurement, he said.
Grain analyzers for quality check at mandis
The meeting was informed that automatic grain analyzers will be set up in 200 large mandis while smaller mandis will have manual analyzers. Quality analysts and supervisors will inspect and certify paddy quality at procurement centres.
Earlier, the chief minister had announced that the state government will procure one crore quintal paddy (equivalent to 68 lakh quintal rice) during KMS 2024-25.
The district collectors were further directed to fix the vexing issue of time lapse of online token issued to farmers indicating specific date and time for delivery of paddy at the mandis by extending the timeline wherever necessary.
Deputy chief ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister KC Patra, Revenue minister Suresh Pujari, Cooperation minister Pradip Bala Samanta, Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja, DGP YB Khurania and senior officers were present. District collectors joined the meeting through virtual mode.