Bhubaneswar: The state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department minister Ranendra Pratap Swain Sunday directed officials to strictly implement Covid guidelines during the procurement of rabi crops which started from May 1 to June 30.
The department has so far procured around 4.25 lakh metric tonne rabi crops from 14 districts.
The state government asked the Collectors to start registration of farmers who are willing to sell surplus paddy under the price support system.
Till now 2.31 lakh farmers have registered themselves. The department has procured 4.25 lakh metric tonne rabi crop from 63,817 registered farmers till now at the cost of Rs 793 crore.
Balasore, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Subarnapur are the 14 districts from where the rabi crops are procured.
Out of them Bargarh tops the list with 2.8 lakh metric tonne of rabi crop.
Very soon the crop collection will start in three other districts which are Koraput, Khurda and Jajpur.
The government has decided to procure paddy (rabi crop) from 17 districts which participated in the decentralised procurement through Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation. Farmers, who wish to deliver their surplus paddy to government at MSP during the ensuing rabi procurement season, are required to register with their societies. Prior registration is a mandatory process, said a letter issued by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department.
With the government giving maximum emphasis on registration of sharecroppers, they are required to obtain consent letter from the landholder and deposit it along with the registration form. A sharecropper has to submit the mobile number and a copy of the Aadhaar card of his landowner. There is no other way for a sharecropper to apply for registration except submitting the landowner’s consent, the letter said.
PNN