Farmers in Odisha will not be required to have an AgriStack ID to register for paddy procurement, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra clarified on Sunday.
Patra said that while 3,108 of the 5,093 farmers who have registered so far possess an AgriStack ID, the digital identification is not mandatory. “We are not making the AgriStack ID compulsory. If a farmer does not have an AgriStack ID, they can still register for paddy procurement, and there will be no issue,” he told reporters.
The minister also confirmed that sharecroppers are eligible to register. “Sharecroppers have also registered,” he added, addressing concerns raised by farmer groups.
