Odisha: Krushna Patra Launches Kharif Paddy Procurement, Opens Mandis In Nuapada
Shares meal with farmers; assures MSP payment within 48 hours
Nuapada (Odisha): Odisha food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Sunday formally inaugurated the Kharif paddy procurement season by opening a series of mandis (procurement centres) across Nuapada district.
At Darlimunda, where the first mandi was launched in the presence of former Bargarh MP Pravas Singh and MLAs Jay Dholakia (Nuapada) and Dusmanta Kumar Swain (Khandapada), the minister said the state was targeting procurement of nearly 100 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this year. The projection, he said, stems from a notable rise in cultivation following the state government's decision to provide an Rs 800 input subsidy in addition to the Rs 2,300 MSP per quintal.
“In the last Kharif season, we procured 74 lakh metric tonnes. This year, with more farmland brought under paddy, we expect the figure to reach 100 lakh metric tonnes. I assure farmers that their MSP dues will be settled within 24 to 48 hours,” Patra said.
Responding to farmers’ complaints regarding katni chhatni—the deduction of around five kilograms per quintal on the pretext of moisture adjustment—the minister said he had already directed officials to put a stop to the “unethical and exploitative” practice.
Patra also acknowledged the growing challenge of storage amid rising procurement volumes. The department, he said, is planning to create an additional 20 lakh metric tonnes of storage capacity to manage the increased inflow of rice.
In a gesture aimed at strengthening rapport with cultivators and countering the opposition Biju Janata Dal’s allegations of mandi mismanagement and harassment by millers, the minister was seen sharing a meal with farmers at the Daripali mandi.
Patra’s visit comes barely a month after the BJP’s sweeping victory in the Nuapada Assembly bypoll, where the party candidate Jay Dholakia won by a margin of 83,478 votes. Patra had overseen the Jayajanga Mandal—one of the eight circles in the constituency—during the campaign.
Newly elected MLA Jay Dholakia, who accompanied the minister to every mandi and participated in meetings with farmers and BJP workers, said Nuapada had begun witnessing tangible changes under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s leadership.
“Before the bypoll, the Chief Minister assured special attention to Nuapada and announced a package of Rs 1,100 crore. The minister’s visit today shows the government is seriously acting on that commitment. I am confident that the socio-economic conditions of the district will improve significantly in the coming days,” Dholakia said.
