The Interview Times
The Odisha government announced extension of the validity of tokens to help farmers who have registered for procurement of paddy. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Patra said in a video message that 63,65,000 metric tons of paddy has been procured by the state government till date. Districts like Bargarh and Sambalpur have completed nearly 95% of their procurement, he said.
However, the government is prepared to purchase up to 80,00,000 metric tons, surpassing previous records, the Minister announced. Stating that the state government has already transferred over Rs 17,000 crore directly into the bank accounts of farmers, Patra said payments are being processed within 48 hours of procurement to ensure financial liquidity for growers.
In order to guarantee that every registered farmer has the chance to sell their crops without difficulty, district collectors have been granted the authority to extend token validity by 15 days, even though the procurement drive for this season ends on March 31. He added that the procurement of paddy is being monitored in real time via the central Command Center.