Bhubaneswar: The State Cabinet meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the Food and Procurement Policy for KMS 2022-23 to regulate all aspects of paddy and rice procurement.
Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2022-23 will commence from October 1, 2022 and conclude on 30thSeptember, 2023. The State Government will procure paddy during Kharif and Rabi seasons separately within the KMS.
Paddy will be procured from registered farmers by payment of Minimum Support Price (MSP). Paddy will be milled into rice by Custom Millers appointed for the purpose. The rice so obtained will be utilised in State’s Public Distribution System (PDS) to meet requirements under National Food Security Act, State Food Security Scheme & Other Welfare Schemes and the surplus rice will be delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The surplus rice is evacuated by FCI to deficit States.
A tentative target of 48 lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) in terms of rice has been fixed for KMS 2022-23. In terms of paddy this comes to around 71 LMT. For Kharif, the tentative target for procurement of paddy would be 57 lakh MT & for Rabi 14 lakh MT. There is no bar for procurement of any higher quantum if more paddy comes to mandies from registered farmers.
In KMS 2021-22 paddy to the tune of 71.03 LMT was procured (both Kharif and Rabi included). In terms of rice it comes to 48.08 LMT. Paddy (Kharif Crop) will be procured in the State during the period from November, 2022 to March, 2023 and Paddy (Rabi Crop) from May to June, 2023. Districts will schedule their procurement periods within these broad timelines.
Paddy will be procured from farmers who are registered in the online portal of FS & CW Department. Aadhaar shall be only ID proof for a registered farmer to sell paddy to Government. Sale of paddy is subject to Aadhaar based biometric identification, according to a official release.
100% field verification and validation of paddy growing areas through satellite imagery are being adopted to verify land details and paddy crop growing areas. The authenticity of land details shall be verified in terms of modalities to be prescribed by FS & CW Department.
All registered and eligible farmers shall be intimated in advance by way of SMS to their mobile phones regarding date of sale of paddy and quantity to be sold, it added.
Small and marginal farmers shall be accorded priority for sale of paddy to Government. There would be no imposition on farmers to keep aside a certain portion of their produce for personal consumption by their families. A registered farmer can sell his entire surplus, as per approved yield rate, to Government. This will facilitate entry of more small and marginal farmers into the procurement fold, it said.
Paddy will be procured as per MSP declared by Govt. of India — Common variety: Rs.2040 per quintal and Grade- A variety: Rs.2060/- per quintal.
The Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) will procure paddy In all districts.
OSCSC shall procure through PACS/ LAMPCS/ WSHGs/ Pani Panchayats. More WSHGs shall be engaged by districts in paddy procurement operations.
Payment of farmers’ dues on account of paddy sold to Government shall be transferred directly to their bank accounts through online mode. All such payments shall be made within 24 to 48 hours of the sale of paddy.
No rice miller who has any outstanding dues to be paid to a State Government agency on account of CMR delivery of KMS 2020- 21 and earlier procurement seasons shall be allowed to participate in the procurement operation in KMS 2022-23, it added.
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