BHUBANESWAR : With 29 per cent increase in farmers’ registration for sale of paddy under minimum support price, the inter-ministerial committee for 2025-26 kharif paddy procurement proposed a slew of measures for infrastructure development to meet the demand.
The meeting chaired by deputy chief minister and minister of Agriculture Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo decided to construct permanent model mandis with the coordination of various departments. The model mandis will have all facilities for the convenience of farmers.
It has been decided to build more warehouses for post-purchase management of paddy. This will be done by Food Corporation of India (FCI), Cooperation department and State Warehousing Corporation, said Singh Deo.
Apart from procurement of a certain amount of rice by FCI, the surplus rice management is very crucial. For this purpose the government is planning to supply the broken rice to ethanol plants for the ethanol production, distribution of free rice to families under below poverty line through various schemes and export to other countries have been discussed.
He said the existing rice milling capacities of the state will be inadequate given the rise in productivity and production of rice after enhancement of procurement price to `3,100 per quintal. Setting up of more rice mills and upgrading existing mills to hybrid mills were also discussed.
Revenue minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra and Cooperation minister Pradeep Bal Samanta, and several senior officers attended the meeting.