Paddy procurement to begin in state from Nov 1

Bhubaneswar: Paddy procurement for the current kharif season will begin from November 1 in Bargarh and Kalahandi districts, informed Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi.

After the paddy procurement committee meeting at state secretariat here on Thursday, the Chief Secretary said, “In the first phase, procurement of paddy crop will take place at Bargarh and Kalahandi districts. The government has set a target to procure 44 lakh metric tonnes of kharif paddy this year. Similarly, 9 lakh metric tonnes of paddy will be procured during the rabi season. The procurement process in other parts of the state, except for the drought-hit districts, will commence from November 15.”

Padhi said around 10 lakh farmers have registered for selling paddy. “The paddy purchase amount will be directly transferred to the farmers’ accounts through State Co-Operative Bank,” he added.