Bhubaneswar, Dec 3: The Odisha government on Wednesday told the Assembly that no procurement token was wasted this year, unlike the BJD regime, when nearly four lakh farmers could not sell their paddy under the previous government. Replying to a question raised by MLA Sidhant Mohapatra, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said that while 17,73,347 farmers registered in 2023–24, only 13,36,118 could sell paddy.

This year, farmer registration has increased to 19,76,812, the Minister said, adding that the government has already issued 2,94,569 tokens for Kharif procurement, completing token distribution in districts such as Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Sambalpur. He also noted that Rs 5,876 crore has been provided as input assistance to farmers. “With the new government taking charge, both registration and procurement have improved significantly,” he said. A ministerial-level committee has been formed and each district has been assigned to a Minister for smooth operations, he added.

In a separate reply to a question from Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Ramachandra Kadam, Odisha Works Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, speaking on behalf of Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment Department, presented a grim picture of the state’s cold storage infrastructure.

Odisha has 133 cold storages, but 98 are non-functional -- including 20 government-run and 78 private facilities -- with a combined idle capacity of 2.29 lakh MT. Only 35 cold storages -- including two government-owned and 33 private cold storages -- are operational with a total capacity of 1,72,180 MT. “Had these units been functional earlier, the state would not have witnessed the recurring potato crisis,” the Minister remarked.

In the last 10 years, only 26 cold storages were established, out of which four are non-functional, the Minister informed.

To revive the sector, the government has earmarked Rs 252 crore to build 58 new cold storages at the sub-division level, with further plans for block-level expansion. SC, ST and women entrepreneurs will receive 60 per cent subsidy, while others will get 50 per cent. Applications for 15 new cold storages and two revival proposals have been received, of which five projects have been approved. The government also announced electricity tariff concessions and noted that 239 solar-powered cold rooms have been set up this financial year.

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Members from both the ruling and opposition benches expressed concern over the long-standing neglect of cold storage infrastructure, urging faster execution.