Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday announced extension of the validity of tokens to help farmers who have registered for procurement of paddy.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Patra said in a video message that 63,65,000 metric tons of paddy has been procured by the state government till date. Districts like Bargarh and Sambalpur have completed nearly 95% of their procurement, he said.
However, the government is prepared to purchase up to 80,00,000 metric tons, surpassing previous records, the Minister announced.
Stating that the state government has already transferred over Rs 17,000 crore directly into the bank accounts of farmers, Patra said payments are being processed within 48 hours of procurement to ensure financial liquidity for growers.
Though the procurement drive for this season continues until March 31, district Collectors have been given the power to extend token validity by 15 days to ensure every registered farmer has the opportunity to sell their crops without hassle, he said, adding that the procurement of paddy is being monitored on a real-time basis via central Command Centre
