No large-scale distress sale of paddy in Odisha

The Odisha government has said that there is no large-scale distress sale of paddy after it took a measures like opening of purchase centres and involved women self-help groups to arrest it, official sources said.
"There is no instance of large scale distress sale (of paddy) by the farmers in Odisha," the agriculture department claimed while replying to the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices which enquired if there were recent instances of large-scale distress sale by farmers and steps taken by the state government to arrest it.
Among steps taken to arrest distress sale, the department listed opening of maximum purchase centres, involvement of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, WSHGs and pani panchayats in paddy procurement.

It said that the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation opened 2,448 purchase centres, while Marketing Federation Ltd and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India opened 116 and 75 centres, respectively.
Food Corporation of India established 20 centres and Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Ltd 43 centres.