Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has conducted a comprehensive review of the Kharif paddy procurement process, underscoring the new Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs. 3,100 per quintal. This increase is aimed at providing significant financial relief to farmers across the state.
This year, a record one crore metric tons of paddy is set to be procured, marking a substantial achievement for the state’s agricultural sector. To streamline the procurement process, Chief Minister Majhi has directed the simplification of procedures in Mandis and highlighted the need for constructing sufficient warehouses for the secure storage of the harvested grains.
Currently, the state produces 68 lakh metric tons of rice, and payments for procured paddy are made directly to farmers’ bank accounts within 24 to 48 hours. In a bid to enhance transparency and efficiency, biometric and Aadhaar linkage systems have been introduced, and procurement vehicles are monitored via GPS through the e-Vahan app.
Moreover, an ‘Automatic Grain Analyser’ system has been deployed to ensure the quality of grains during collection. Field-level inspections will be carried out by officials from the Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment, Food Supply, Panchayatiraj, and Revenue departments to expedite and oversee the procurement process effectively.