BHUBANESWAR: Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Thursday demanded that the state government should purchase the remaining paddy from all registered farmers by extending the validity of the lapsed tokens and by increasing the procurement limit.
“The state government had promised to buy rabi paddy from all registered farmers this year. However, lakhs of quintals of paddy remain unsold,” the BJD supremo said in a post on X.
Patnaik said the government had assured that tokens issued for selling paddy at the mandis would not lapse and if necessary the validity would be extended. But suddenly the state government announced June 30 as the last date for registration of paddy procurement, he added.
Stating that the decision of the state government has distressed thousands of farmers of the state, the former chief minister said this policy is seen as anti-farmer and a betrayal. He urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan and Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krishna Chandra Patra to take immediate action for the benefit of farmers. “The government should buy the remaining paddy from all registered farmers, extend the validity of lapsed tokens, and increase the paddy procurement limit to benefit Odisha’s farmers,” he added.