THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, MAY 25, 2026

 In a decisive move to ensure transparent, farmer-friendly, and leak-proof paddy procurement operations, the Odisha Government on Monday finalized the operational guidelines and administrative framework for procurement of the Rabi crop under Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025-26. The high-level Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, laid strong emphasis on safeguarding the interests of small and marginal farmers while tightening enforcement against irregularities in the procurement system.

The meeting witnessed participation from Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta, and Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, along with senior officials from key departments.

Addressing the committee, Deputy Chief Minister Singh Deo stressed that special emphasis must be placed on protecting the interests of small and marginal farmers, ensuring that genuine cultivators receive seamless access to procurement facilities without exploitation or delay. The committee resolved to establish a highly regulated and efficient procurement ecosystem across all districts.

To curb systemic leakages and eliminate unauthorized paddy inflow from neighboring states, the government has directed strict sealing and monitoring of interstate borders during the procurement period. In a major push toward digital transparency, mandatory IRIS-based biometric verification of farmers at Mandis has been introduced, while authorities have also made it compulsory for paddy weighment to take place strictly within designated Mandis.

The government has further strengthened accountability mechanisms by mandating that every procurement-related grievance uploaded on the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare grievance portal must be resolved within 24 hours by designated nodal officers. A dedicated toll-free grievance redressal helpline, 1967, has also been integrated with state-level control rooms to ensure immediate assistance to farmers.

The committee also reviewed logistical preparedness and infrastructure readiness at Paddy Procurement Centres (PPCs). District administrations have been instructed to ensure availability of essential amenities including rest sheds, toilets, drinking water facilities, adequate lighting, tarpaulins, and uninterrupted 24×7 CCTV surveillance at procurement centres. Additionally, all testing and weighment equipment must be calibrated and certified functional by the Legal Metrology Department before procurement operations begin.

To streamline transportation and tracking of procured paddy, the state has mandated implementation of a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) across all districts. A coordinated operational framework involving the Revenue, Cooperation, Police, Transport, and Agriculture departments has also been put in place to strengthen monitoring and execution at the grassroots level.

Highlighting Odisha’s growing procurement scale, officials informed that during Kharif 2025-26, as many as 18,84,628 farmers sold 77,48,083 metric tonnes of paddy in the state. The government recorded a procurement growth of 5.48 per cent and a farmer participation growth of 14 per cent under KMS 2025-26.

To handle the rising procurement volumes, the state is actively strengthening Paddy Procurement Centres, while the Food Corporation of India is set to establish additional dedicated godowns in high-yield regions to augment storage capacity.

Among senior officials present during the meeting were Principal Secretary, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Sanjay Kumar Singh; Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Cooperation, Rajesh Pravakar Patil; Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav; along with senior officers from the Agriculture, Food Supply, Cooperation, and Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water departments.