Odisha targets procurement of 93 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from farmers in 2025-26

Bhubaneswar, Oct 11 (PTI) The Odisha government has set a target of procuring 93 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from farmers during the 2025-26 Kharif Marketing Season (KMS), an official said.

The government aims to get around 63 lakh metric tonnes of rice from 93 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, he said.

This target was part of the state government's Food and Paddy Procurement Policy for the KMS 2025-26 and was approved in the cabinet meeting on Friday evening.

The Kharif procurement season, during which the government would purchase paddy from registered farmers, began on October 1 and will continue till September 30, 2026.

The state government, in a statement, said that a tentative 73 lakh metric tonnes of paddy will be procured during the Kharif season, while the remaining 20 lakh metric tonnes will be purchased during the Rabi season.

However, if more paddy arrives in the 'mandis' from registered farmers, those would be procured as well according to the policy.

A cabinet sub-committee/group of ministers/inter-ministerial committee will review the policy's implementation and can modify the overall target if needed, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said, adding that the paddy will be procured from registered farmers on payment of the minimum support price (MSP).

The MSP rates declared by the central government are Rs 2,369 per quintal for common variety and Rs 2,389 per quintal for grade-A variety.

It was also decided that the Kharif crop paddy procurement will take place from November 2025 to March 2026, and Rabi crop from May to June 2026. Districts will schedule their procurement periods within these broad timelines.

The policy also gives priority to small and marginal farmers to sell their paddy to the government, which will facilitate entry of more such farmers into the procurement fold. PTI AAM AAM ACD