District Administration Conducts Rabi Paddy Procurement Committee Meeting in Jharsuguda Ahead of Procurement Season

Jharsuguda:May 12: A district-level paddy procurement committee meeting for Rabi paddy procurement during the Kharif Marketing Season 2025-26 was held in Jharsuguda district.
The meeting was chaired by Jharsuguda Collector Kunakshala Motiram Chakma. MLA of Jharsuguda Tankadhar Tripathy, Zilla Parishad Chairperson Tulabati Minz, and Additional District Magistrate (General) Brajabandhu Bhoi were present on the dais.
At the outset, Civil Supplies Officer Durga Charan Besra delivered the welcome address and sought cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure smooth procurement of Rabi paddy this year.
During the meeting, the Collector informed that a total of 2,346 farmers in the district have registered to sell paddy during the current Rabi season and that procurement will be carried out through 28 Primary Cooperative Societies from eligible farmers. It was decided that paddy procurement in the district would commence from May 25, 2026.
MLA Tankadhar Tripathy stressed the need to prevent the entry of paddy from outside states into the district and appealed for cooperation from procurement committee members, farmers, public representatives, and officials to ensure smooth completion of the procurement process.
He expressed happiness over the increase in farmer registrations and the successful sale of all paddy during the previous Kharif season. Considering the possibility of rain during procurement and the summer vacation in schools, he suggested that school premises could be used for temporary storage if required. He also stated that paddy could be safely stored in nearby panchayats if necessary.
Chief District Agriculture Officer Pradeep Kumar Nanda highlighted the importance of farmer registration through societies and collective awareness campaigns to benefit farmers. He also emphasized encouraging the cultivation of green gram, black gram, and mustard and sought cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure better sale of Rabi paddy compared to last year.
Farmers requested immediate steps to ensure all facilities at mandis and sought permission for handling 75 kg in two phases. It was noted that due to the efforts of MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, strong measures had been taken during the previous Kharif season for quick transportation of stored rice to warehouses. Similar cooperation was sought this year for smooth procurement operations.
Participants expressed confidence that, under the guidance of Collector Chakma, Rabi paddy procurement this year would be conducted as smoothly as the previous Kharif procurement.
Detailed discussions were held on the ongoing procurement process, token system, farmer facilities, mandi management, and basic infrastructure. Officials were instructed to take immediate steps to resolve any problems related to paddy procurement.
The review also covered procurement targets, the number of registered farmers, token issuance, and lifting arrangements. Emphasis was laid on efficient mandi management, timely lifting of paddy, providing easy facilities to farmers, increasing targets, avoiding inconvenience in cooperative societies, ensuring smooth token issuance, and preventing rejection of farmers’ tokens.
Among others present were DRCS Mamata Rani Kujur, ARCS Ramesh Chandra Taspo, Secretary of the Regulated Market Committee Sujit Kumar Mahapatra, Assistant Supply Officers Jayanta Kundu and Surya Kumar Panigrahi, millers, and farmers.