Token validity for paddy purchase extended

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday allowed district collectors to extend the validity of tokens, given to farmers, by 15 days to ensure that no one is denied the opportunity to sell paddy at the state-run mandis during the Kharif Marketing Season.

The government’s move comes in the wake of a statewide protest over the alleged mismanagement in paddy procurement across Odisha.

The issue was raised in the Assembly and outside with parties holding demonstrations, demanding justice for farmers. As part of the paddy procurement exercise, the State government issues tokens to registered farmers to sell their produce at a specific mandi within a stipulated time. There were allegations that farmers faced difficulties in meeting the deadline mentioned in the tokens due to delays at mandis.

“The district collectors have been given power to extend token validity by 15 days to ensure every registered farmer gets the opportunity to sell their produce without any hassle,” Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said in a video message issued by the department.

Asserting that paddy procurement is going smoothly under direct monitoring by a Central Command Centre, the minister said farmers can sell their produce at state-run mandis till the end of the Kharif Marketing Season on March 31.