Naveen Seeks Intervention of Union Min Piyush Goyal for Evacuation of 20 Lakh MT Surplus Rice from Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday sought the intervention of Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, for the evacuation of surplus rice from Odisha to protect the interests of the farmers of the State.

In a letter to the Union Minister, the Odisha Chief Minister has urged personal intervention of Goyal for issuing a direction to accept additional 20 lakh MT of surplus rice, including 17 lakh MT fortified parboiled rice and 3 lakh MT fortified raw rice for the KMS (Kharif Marketing Season) 2022-23 for the interest of farmers.

The non-evacuation of surplus rice will severely affect the State’s paddy procurement operations in the coming seasons and will adversely impact the livelihood of lakhs of farmers of the State whose main source of earning is through MSP operations of paddy procurement, Naveen said.

Odisha became a Decentralized Procurement (DCP) State from the KMS 2003-04. Since then the State has been undertaking MSP operations for procurement of paddy in decentralized mode.

The Decentralized Procurement has improved the outreach of MSP support to paddy growers. During this Kharif season a record 14,94,320 farmers have sold paddy to the Government at MSP. The rice milled from the paddy so procured is being used under the National Food Security Act and Other Welfare Schemes of the Government and the surplus rice is being delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Naveen said.

Paddy procurement for Kharif season (KMS 2022-23) is going to be closed by 31.03.2023. About 65.23 LMT of paddy equivalent to 44.23 LMT Kharif CMR has been procured as on 22.03.2023 and MSP dues of about Rs.13,081 crore have been transferred to the bank account of the farmers within 24 to 48 hours of purchase of paddy.

In the ensuing Rabi (KMS 2022-23), it is expected that about 10 lakh MT of CMR will be procured in the State. Thus, total 54 lakh MT CMR is likely to be procured during KMS 2022-23. Odisha’s own consumption will be 24 lakh MT of rice under NFSA, SFSS and Other Welfare Schemes.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India has issued a target of 10.33 LMT (4 LMT in 1st phase & 6.33 in 2nd phase) of fortified parboiled rice for acceptance by FCI during KMS 2022-23 (Kharif) for the State of Odisha. So, the State will be left with approximately 20 lakh MT of surplus rice, the CM added.