Odisha targets 60 lakh MT paddy procurement in KMS 2019-20

Odisha government on Thursday fixed a target to procure 60 lakh metric ton of paddy during the kharif marketing season (KMS), 2019-20.

This was decided at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The cabinet approved the Food and Procurement Policy for kharif season, 2019-20 where it was decided that the farmers will get payments within 24 to 48 hours of the sale of paddy to the government.

"A tentative target of 41 lak MT in terms of rice has been fixed. In terms of paddy this comes to around 60 LMT, 50 LMT during Kharif and 10 LMT in rabi season. There is no bar for procurement of any higher quantum if more paddy comes to mandies from registered farmers," Chief Secretary A K Tripathy told reporters after the meeting.

Tripathy said Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister has been authorised to revise target if the need so arises.

In KMS 2018-19, paddy to the tune of 65.49 LMT was procured. This is equivalent to 44.42 LMT, the official said adding that paddy is procured for farmers by payment of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and is milled through Customers Millers.

The rice is supplied for state's public distribution system (PDS) and the surplus rice is delivered to the central pool through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The state requires 24 LMT of rice for its PDS.

Meanwhile, above 12 lakh farmers have already registered their names with Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation to participate in the paddy procurement, Tripathy said.

Kharif crop will be procured during the period between this November, 2019 and March, 2020 and Rabi crops to be procured between May to June, 2020.

Tripathy said paddy will be procured at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) rate declared by the central government. While the MSP for common variety is set at Rs 1815 per quintal, it is Rs 1835 per qiuintal for Grade - A variety.

Odisha SCSC along with other agencies PACS, LAMPCS, WSHGs and Pani Panchayats will procure paddy in all the districts of the state.

Meanwhile, district administrations have been ordered to take all necessary steps to prevent distress sale of paddy.

The Cabinet also approved a proposal for construction of an Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Baramunda in Bhubaneswar.

A bus terminal will be developed at Khandagiri for shifting of the the existing Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) depot from Baramunda.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has been entrusted with the development of the project on EPC mode on the basis of a transparent bidding process. Bridge and Roof Company India Ltd, a central undertaking, will execute the project at a cost of Rs 160,66,54,000.

The Cabinet also approved eight other proposals, Tripathy said.