Paddy to be procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal from kharif season: Odisha minister

Bhubaneswar, Jun 20 (PTI) The Odisha government will procure paddy from farmers at an enhanced price of Rs 3,100 per quintal from the upcoming kharif season, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said on Thursday.

Instructions have been issued to officials concerned that payment will be made to farmers within 48 hours of selling the paddy, he told reporters here.

The Union government had on Wednesday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by Rs 117 to Rs 2,300 per quintal for the 2024-25 kharif marketing season.

Odisha had set a target to procure 79 lakh tonnes of paddy during the kharif and rabi crop season of 2023-24.

The state government will also set up a ‘rice ATM’ in Bhubaneswar in order to facilitate smooth distribution of PDS rice.

“The beneficiaries can insert the PDS card in the ATM machine and receive their monthly quota of rice,” the minister added. PTI BBM RBT