Bhubaneswar, Dec 24: The Odisha government has reassured farmers that it will continue to procure paddy despite the poor quality caused by unseasonal rainfall.
Krushna Chandra Patra, the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister, confirmed that all farmers' paddy will be procured and directed collectors to follow through with this commitment.
To accommodate farmers dealing with wet paddy, the government has extended an additional 15 days for those whose tokens expire, allowing more time to dry and sell their produce at the mandi.
While acknowledging delays in opening some mandis due to the adverse weather, the minister emphasized that farmers would receive fair prices after evaluating the extent of damage to the paddy. So far, 7.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy have been sold, with direct transfers amounting to Rs 2,100 crore made to 1.5 lakh farmers' accounts.
Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari assured that the government is prepared to compensate farmers for any damages resulting from the unseasonal rains, in line with established regulations.
