State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjaya Das Burma on Monday indicated that the Chhattisgarh model of paddy procurement and Mandi management would be replicated in Odisha.
Replying to the admissibility of an adjournment motion that the State Government had failed to implement paddy procurement policy leading to tardy collection of paddy at the Mandis, the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister said that he would tour BJP ruled Chhattisgarh soon to study the best practices in paddy procurement and Mandi management to ensure streamlining and proper coordination in paddy procurement process.
Besides, steps would be made to ensure collection of paddy at official MSP from all the farmers, he said.
Rejecting the charges of the Opposition that farmers are resorting to distress sale of paddy due to lack of any transparent procurement policy and huge quantities of paddy stacked in Mandis for collection, the Minister said that the Government had been taking steps with all sincerity to procure paddy from the farmers.
He said while procurement had already been completed in the districts like Sambalpur, Sonepur, Nuapada and Bargarh, there was no paddy stock in Mandis in Puri, Rayagada and Koraput. However, paddy collection in three Mandis in Kalahandi is still going on, he informed.
The Minister said that during the current procurement year, so far an estimated 22. 28 lakh MT of rice against the target of 35 lakh MT had already been procured across the State. Since May last the procurement for Rabi crop has been started and so far 5.29 lakh MT rice has been collected against the target of 8.35 lakh MT, he said.
Stating that special measures is being taken to ensure that there would be no problem in procuring paddy from farmers, Das Burma said that it was decided to constitute a high level committee in the State level for better coordination among the three stakeholder departments such as Agriculture, Cooperation and Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare.