Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Sept 19: Odisha government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has set an ambitious target for paddy procurement during the kharif marketing season (KMS) 2024-25, aiming to procure one crore metric tonnes (MT) of paddy. This season will see an increased minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 3,100 per quintal.
At a high-level meeting attended by five ministers, Majhi emphasized the need for a streamlined procurement process to ensure farmers benefit from the enhanced MSP. “We have set a target of procuring one crore tonnes of paddy this year. All necessary arrangements must be made at mandis to facilitate farmers,” he instructed.
Currently, the state produces 68 lakh metric tonnes of paddy. To minimize the role of intermediaries and ensure efficiency, the government will use GPS tracking for paddy collection vehicles through the E-Vahan app and employ automatic grain analyzers to check paddy quality during procurement. Additionally, a team of officials from the Agriculture, Food Supplies, Panchayati Raj, and Revenue departments will monitor the process through field visits.
The meeting also explored the construction of godowns under a public-private partnership (PPP) model to support the procurement infrastructure.
