AgriStack Not Mandatory for Kharif Paddy Sale in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has clarified that farmers will not need an AgriStack registration to sell their paddy during the upcoming Kharif Paddy Procurement Season 2026-27, aiming to ensure that the digital registration process does not create barriers for farmers.

The decision was taken at an Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo to review preparations for a smooth and transparent farmer registration process.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik and Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta attended the meeting. Senior officials from the Agriculture, Cooperation, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare and Finance departments, along with the Managing Director of the State Civil Supplies Corporation, were also present.

The committee decided that AgriStack registration will remain optional for farmers for the upcoming procurement season. The government has also kept the registration window open until October to provide farmers sufficient time to complete the process.

AgriStack is a digital platform designed to consolidate farmers’ information and provide a unique Farmer ID, enabling easier access to government schemes, crop insurance, credit and other agricultural services. Around six lakh farmers have so far registered on the platform.

The government is also preparing special guidelines for sharecroppers and is working to address possible challenges they may face during the paddy procurement process.

The meeting reviewed procurement performance during the 2025-26 Rabi season. The state procured 20,46,185 metric tonnes of paddy from 3,63,553 farmers, compared to 19,18,528 metric tonnes during the previous Rabi season in 2024-25.

As of now, ₹4,844 crore has been disbursed towards Minimum Support Price (MSP) and input assistance to 3,63,149 farmers for the Rabi season.

For Kharif 2026-27, the government has set a target of registering at least 50 per cent of farmers. The Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare and Cooperation departments will coordinate the registration process, with support from the Revenue Department.

Farmers can register at their nearest Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) or Common Service Centre (CSC). So far, 94,657 farmers have registered to sell paddy during the upcoming Kharif season, with Balasore recording the highest number of registrations.

To prevent confusion and misinformation among farmers, awareness campaigns will be conducted at the sub-divisional and Gram Panchayat levels. Village Agricultural Workers (VAWs) will assist farmers in completing the registration process.

The government has also directed officials to ensure that every farmer receives a registration receipt after submitting an application. Two types of registration slips are currently being issued—one for farmers registered under AgriStack and another for those who have not registered under AgriStack.

Both types of registration slips will remain valid for paddy procurement, the government clarified.

The committee emphasised that the registration process should remain transparent, accessible and farmer-friendly, while ensuring that no eligible farmer is denied the opportunity to sell paddy through the state procurement system.