Bhubaneswar: The state government Sunday said that Food and Procurement Policy for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2016-17 will be implemented from October 1.
Food supplies & consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma held an interactive discussion with farmers along with senior official of his department here to ensure smooth paddy procurement. The farmers’ representatives urged the minister not to make Aadhaar card mandatory for paddy procurement.
They also requested the government to increase paddy procurement limit per acre of paddy field. At present, the government has fixed the limit at 12 quintal of paddy per acre for non-irrigated land and 18 quintal per acre for irrigated land.
“We are consulting farmers’ representatives on how to set right the issues which farmers had faced last year. The suggestions will find prominence during the next Cabinet meeting on food and procurement policy,” the minister said.
“The farmers have come up with mainly two-three suggestions. They laid emphasis on ensuring three meetings at RDC level, increase the productivity in irrigated and non-irrigated lands and proper disbursement of payment to farmers,” he added.
Besides procurement, opening of paddy procurement centres, introduction of Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS), linking bank account with Aadhaar and timely payment towards sale of produce were discussed during the meeting.
The minister also urged the farmers to sell their crops at the procurement centres (mandis) instead of directly selling it to millers.
Like last year, the government is planning to procure 30 lakh metric tonne (MT) paddy harvested in this kharif season from November 15. If required, the government will increase the target, an official of the department said. This year, the state government has decided to implement P-PAS in all paddy procurement blocks and made submission of land records mandatory for paddy procurement, he added.
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