Baragarh: Paddy procurement will start from November 21. The decision was taken in a ministerial meeting regarding the procurement of paddy in the current Kharif season. Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari informed about this later in the meeting. Paddy procurement will start from Baragarh district of Odisha.
The minister said that a target has been set to purchase 80 lakh tonnes of paddy this year. According to the information, this year the government will purchase paddy from farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal. The farmers will sell the paddy at a total of Rs 3,100 by adding the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy of Rs 2,300 and input assistance of Rs 800 from the state government.
To streamline the paddy procurement process, a departmental officer will be in the mandi till the process is completed. There will be one supervisor in each of the 4 to 5 mandies. There will be a quality testing machine in all the mandi to check the quality of the paddy.
The Transport Department will monitor the transport system of paddy from mandi to mill. Similarly, patrolling teams will be deployed to ensure that paddy from neighbouring states does not enter Odisha. The minister clarified that the state government will focus on the safety of farmers and the purchase of paddy free of spoilage.
