CM Naveen Urges Centre For Evacuation Of Surplus Rice From State

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday wrote a letter to Union Minister Piyush Goyal seeking his intervention in the Centre accepting an additional 20 lakh MT of surplus rice for the Kharif Marketing Season 2022-23.

About 65.23 LMT of paddy equivalent to 44.23 LMT Kharif CMR has been procured as on March 22 and MSP dues of about Rs 13,081 crore have been transferred to the bank account of the farmers within 24 to 48 hours of the purchase of paddy, the CM’s letter read.

“In the ensuing Rabi (KMS 2022-23), it is expected that about 10 lakh MT of CMR will be procured in the State. Thus, a total of 54 lakh MT CMR is likely to be procured during KMS 2022-23. Odisha’s own consumption will be 24 lakh MT of rice under NFSA, SFSS and Other Welfare Schemes,” it stated.

“The Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India has issued a target of 10.33 LMT (4 LMT in 1st phase & 6.33 in 2M phase) of fortified parboiled rice for acceptance by FCI during KMS 2022-23 (Kharif) for the State of Odisha. So, the State will be left with approximately 20 lakh MT of surplus rice.”

“Non-evacuation of the above quantity of surplus rice from the State will severely affect the State’s paddy procurement operations in the coming seasons as well as it will adversely impact the livelihood of lakhs of farmers of the State whose main source of earning is through MSP operations of paddy procurement,” the CM added, seeking Goyal’s attention to the matter.