Bhubaneswar: The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Department in the Government of Odisha has issued detailed guidelines for procurement of paddy during Rabi season.
Principal Secretary Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Vir Vikram Yadav has recently issued guidelines to the Collectors of Baleswar, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Khurda, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Subarnapur. The procurement of paddy (Rabi crop) will commence from May 1 and continue till June 30 in the State.
It is required to ensure that the upcoming Rabi procurement operations are carried out smoothly and genuine farmers are able to sell their paddy in a hassle-free manner at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), Yadav said.
The procurement operations are to be carried out as per the Food and Procurement Policy for KMS 2021-22 and Operational Guidelines issued by Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC).
The Collectors have been asked to hold the meeting of District Level Procurement Committee (DLPC) much prior to commencement of procurement, preferably by second week of April, 2022 to decide on the starting day of procurement in the concerned district.
The Principal Secretary advised the Collectors to select suitable PACS/ LAMPCS/ WSHG/ Pani Panchayat for participation in procurement operations after assessing their available manpower, infrastructure, grading equipment, track record, financial capability and management, location, storage capacity and past performance.
Where, in case, a procuring society/ group has committed lapses in current Kharif procurement season in ensuring smooth procurement to the satisfaction of farmers, it may be replaced with a suitable society/ group with adequate infrastructure facilities, he said.
Yadav said prior registration of farmers is mandatory for procurement. The task of preparing a master farmer list should be completed much before commencement of procurement of Rabi crop, he said.
The process of farmer registration has started from March 1, 2022. Master trainers from all the districts have been trained on the next day on modalities of Rabi registration.
The societies/groups engaged in Rabi procurement will have to keep the Paddy Purchase Centres in readiness from May 1. RMCs will undertake such publicity in their jurisdiction.
“It must be ensured that millers are ready in your respective district before the start of procurement of Rabi crops with no CMR pending for delivery,” he said.
It is imperative for high Rabi procuring districts that custom millers with poor rice delivery improve their performance (Kharif crop) so that they can make complete delivery by April 30, he said.
Paddy is very much vulnerable to deterioration in quality due to moisture. So, the custom millers receiving paddy during Rabi should have to ensure that the same is stored properly under protective cover/covered storage so that there is no damage to paddy due to the rains.
Wherever milling capacity is inadequate in the district, millers from outside districts will be deputed to the deficit districts. In no case one miller will be allowed to participate in more than two districts including his own, he clarified.
Delivery of rice to FCI and OSCSC should be monitored on a regular basis by District Collectors and any problems arising in the field should be addressed immediately through the district level/ sub divisional level squad.
“No paddy which is procured on a day should remain unlifted at the end of the day. This will require regular coordination and, hence, there is a need for designating nodal officers for all procurement centres in the districts,” Yadav said.
As monsoon usually arrives in the State during mid-June, the Collectors have been asked to complete the procurement process before the onset of monsoon.
To facilitate the coordination and sorting out problems on a daily basis, a control room will be operationalised at the district level.
The Principal Secretary further requested the DMs to take all necessary steps, monitor and supervise the ensuing Rabi procurement operations personally to ensure that there is no distress sale of paddy in the district.
