BHUBANESWAR: With 22 days left for procurement of kharif paddy and 70 lakh tonne already purchased, the state is likely to cross the target of 77 lakh tonne set by the Group of Ministers.
A review of the ongoing paddy procurement by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra revealed that around 70 lakh tonne of paddy has been procured from around 15.65 lakh registered farmers during the kharif marketing season and more than Rs 21,000 crore transferred to their bank accounts.
Farmers registered with the state government for sale of paddy under the decentralised procurement scheme (DCP) have been paid Rs 15,613 crore towards minimum support price while Rs 5,430 crore has been paid as input assistance.
In October last year, the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had approved the proposal of the Civil Supplies department for procurement of 54 lakh tonne of rice (80 lakh tonne in terms of paddy) in the current KMS 2024-25. The tentative target for procurement of kharif paddy was 66 lakh tonne and 14 lakh tonne for rabi season.
However, the Group of Ministers headed by deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo modified the target to 77 lakh tonne notwithstanding the damage to crops in several coastal districts by the unseasonal rains in December last year. While paddy procurement is almost over in many western Odisha districts, it is still underway in full swing in the coastal districts where the purchase activity started very late.
Sources in the department said paddy procurement has exceeded the target in almost all the district affected by unseasonal rains. Though the rush for paddy sale at the mandis has slowed down, if the current trend continues till March 31, the last date of paddy procurement, chances are that it may cross the target.
“The actual paddy production will be known if the government provides data on the cultivated areas covered under procurement. The government is only providing number of farmers registered for sale of paddy under MSP but not the area under cultivation,” said an officer associated with the procurement business.