Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday announced a series of measures to strengthen and streamline the paddy procurement process for the upcoming Kharif Marketing Season 2025-26, with Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo stressing that the interests of small and marginal farmers would receive top priority.
The decisions were taken during a high-level inter-ministerial committee meeting held in Bhubaneswar under the chairmanship of Singh Deo. Ministers from the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Revenue & Disaster Management, Cooperation, and Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water departments, along with senior officials, attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister directed officials to ensure transparency and strict monitoring during paddy procurement operations across the state.
To curb middlemen activities and illegal trading, the government has decided to introduce stricter enforcement measures. District collectors will conduct daily reviews of procurement activities, while Odisha’s borders will be sealed to prevent paddy from neighbouring states from entering procurement mandis within the state, according to an official release.
The government has also made iris-based identity verification mandatory at mandis to ensure proper authentication of farmers. Officials said paddy weighing will only be permitted inside designated mandis to prevent irregularities.
A 24-hour timeline has been fixed for resolving farmers’ grievances, with nodal officers assigned to monitor complaints. Farmers will also be able to directly register complaints through the toll-free helpline number 1967.
The state government further announced infrastructure upgrades at procurement centres to improve facilities for farmers. Each Paddy Procurement Centre (PPC) will be equipped with drinking water facilities, toilets, rest sheds, lighting arrangements and tarpaulin covers to protect paddy from rain.
Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) technology will also be introduced for proper monitoring and transportation of paddy vehicles. Weighing machines at procurement centres will undergo verification to ensure accuracy and transparency.
Officials informed the meeting that compared to last year, paddy procurement in Odisha has increased by 5.48 per cent, while the number of participating farmers has gone up by 14 per cent.
In view of the higher procurement volume, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been asked to construct additional warehouses in major paddy-producing regions to strengthen storage capacity.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, Cooperation Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, along with officials from related departments.
