Odisha accelerates farmer registration for kharif paddy procurement

Bhubaneswar, Aug 1 (UNI)The Odisha Government has initiated the registration process for farmers to participate in the Kharif season paddy procurement, ensuring that no eligible farmer faces difficulties during the procurement period.

According to official sources, the registration process began on July 19 and will continue until August 20. As of today, 3,95,949 farmers have already registered, compared to 3,87,104 registrations on the same date last year.

Registration is actively being carried out at the nearest Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), Large Area Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS), Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs), and Pani Panchayats.

Although the registration began five days later than last year, officials are confident that all eligible farmers will complete the process by the deadline.

The state government has made it mandatory for all registered farmers to link their bank accounts with Aadhaar and complete the e-KYC process. This step aims to ensure that only eligible farmers are included in the procurement process, while ineligible ones are excluded using Aadhaar-based verification.

Officials stated that this approach will help identify genuine farmers, including small, marginalised, and sharecropping farmers, who wish to participate in the procurement.

To safeguard the interests of all farmers, consent letters from landowners and record holders are also being collected to ensure that no eligible farmer is left out.

Farmers are encouraged to contact the toll-free number 1967 for grievance redressal.