Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, led a high-level delegation to Delhi today, meeting Union Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi to address critical issues surrounding rice procurement for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2024-25.
Accompanied by Odisha’s Members of Parliament, the Deputy CM pressed for faster evacuation of surplus rice by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to streamline the state’s record-breaking procurement operations.
Odisha has achieved a historic milestone, procuring 92,64,235 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy during KMS 2024-25, equivalent to 62,62,086 MT of rice—the highest in the state’s history. After meeting the state’s consumption needs, including Kharif and Rabi seasons, Odisha is left with a surplus of 12 lakh MT of rice. However, the slow pace of FCI’s evacuation process is hampering ongoing procurement efforts, creating logistical bottlenecks for farmers and the state’s food supply chain.
In the meeting, Singh Deo emphasised the need for immediate action to lift the surplus rice, a concern echoed by Odisha’s Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, in a letter to the Union Minister. The delegation, which included MPs Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Malvika Devi, Pratap Sarangi, Bhartuhari Mahtab, Pradeep Purohit, Sukanta Panigrahi, Anita Subhadarshini, Ananta Charan Nayak, Bhibhu Prasad Tarai, and Rabindra Narayan Behara, along with Union Secretary Sanjiv Chopra, highlighted the urgency of resolving the issue.
Union Minister Joshi assured the delegation that the matter would be addressed promptly, signalling hope for Odisha’s farmers and the state’s agricultural ecosystem. The resolution of this issue is critical to maintaining the momentum of Odisha’s agricultural success and ensuring smooth operations for future procurement seasons.
