Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister K C Patra Tuesday announced in the Assembly that the state government would procure paddy from all registered farmers by March 31.
Patra made this announcement in the Assembly during a discussion on the alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement across the state.
“There is an attempt by opposition parties to mislead farmers. I assure this House that the government is committed to purchase paddy from all registered farmers by the end of the kharif marketing season March 31,” the minister said while rejecting the opposition allegation that the government did not procure paddy from farmers.
Asserting that the state government has been sincerely undertaking the paddy procurement exercise, the minister said the state purchased 92.64 lakh metric tonne of paddy from 19.73 lakh farmers and disbursed Rs 28,619 crore in 2024-25. This time, over 19.68 lakh farmers have registered for the current season and procurement volume has already crossed 64 lakh metric tonne so far, he said.
Initiating the debate, Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati came down heavily on the BJP government and alleged that the farmers were suffering during the previous BJD government, too.
“There is a nexus between the millers and the officials for which the farmers are at the receiving end. The minister did not say anything about the volume of paddy lying on mandis. I understand many farmers are waiting to sell their produce and spend nights under the sky,” the Congress lawmaker said.
Bahinipati alleged that though the central government has increased the rate of MSP on paddy by Rs 69, the state government is not giving this amount to farmers. “The farmers in Odisha should get Rs 3,169 per quintal, while they are given only Rs 3,100. In many places, the farmers go for distress sale at the rate of Rs 1,400 per quintal due to harassment in state-run mandis,” he alleged.
Congress MLA Ashok Das alleged that while a farmer has produced paddy over 5 acres of land, he is given a token to sell produce over 2 acres of land. What the farmer will do with the remaining paddy, he asked.
BJP MLAs – Ashwini Sarangi, Nihar Mahanand and Purna Chandra Sethi attacked the opposition BJD and the Congress for making paddy procurement a “political issue”. “The opposition is afraid of losing trust of farmers after the BJP government provided Rs 800 per quintal of paddy as input assistance,” Sarangi said.
While the House witnessed an exchange of words between the members of the BJP and Congress, the BJD lawmakers walked out of the House protesting the debate being held amid a noisy scene. “The sensitive issue like paddy procurement should be held peacefully. The Speaker allowed the debate when the House was not in order,” BJD MLA P K Deb said before leading the walkout.
Earlier during the pre-lunch session, the House witnessed noisy scene as the Opposition BJD and Congress members staged an agitation in the well of the House, holding placards alleging the gross mismanagement in paddy procurement. Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the proceedings for the first time from 10. 36 am till 11.30 am.
Later, the House also witnessed a similar situation during the post-lunch session and adjourned twice due to agitation by the Congress members.
The Congress lawmakers also staged a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises, demanding justice for farmers.
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