The delegation requested Goyal to direct the Odisha Government to expeditiously complete procurement of unsold paddy for the welfare of farmers in the State.
It also sought support from the Centre in resolving several issues related to paddy procurement in Odisha, including streamlining the entire process to ensure smooth, transparent and quick procurement of paddy at MSP for the benefit of paddy farmers in the State.
The saffron leaders also alleged that the Odisha Government has been belying its own systematic failure in governance and providing allied agricultural services to farmers in the State.
“Despite this years’ better-than-expected harvest of paddy due to a favourable monsoon, farmers in Odisha are suffering due to State Government apathies, administrative inefficiencies and long-standing malpractices,” said Pradhan in a series of tweets.
“State Government of Odisha did not revise its ceiling of paddy procurement of 19 quintals for every acre of irrigated land and 13 quintals for every acre of non-irrigated land in spite of the bumper crop yield this season,” he added.
“As a result thousands of farmers were left with unsold paddy which they had to sell at half the price of MSP fixed by the Centre, i.e Rs1,868 per quintal. Farmers are also being forced to sell their harvest at throwaway price due to administrative failures of the Odisha Government,” Pradhan alleged.
Besides Pradhan, Union Minister Pratap Sarangi, Lok Sabha MPs Aparajita Sarangi , Suresh Pujari, Nitesh Ganga Deb, Bishweswar Tudu, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Basanta Panda and Rajya Sabha MPs Ashwini Baishnab and Raghunath Mohapatra were present on the occasion.