Bhubaneswar : Odisha is facing the problem of storing the surplus rice due to non-evacuation of the stock by Food Corporation of India (FCI).
The Odisha deputy chief minister (DCM) who is also agriculture minister, KV Singhdeo, appraised the union minister for consumer affairs, food & public distribution, Prahallad Joshi, at Delhi on Monday. The Dy. CM met the union minister along with BJP Lok Sabha MPs at New Delhi.
Singhdeo told the Joshi that the State had procured a record 92.64 lakh quintals of paddy which is equivalent to 62.62 lakh tonnes of rice in both kharif and rabi season in 2024-25. After meeting the State’s requirement of rice, there is 12 lakh tonnes of surplus rice with the State. He pointed out that the slow evacuation of this surplus rice by FCI causing hinderance in State government’s procurement of paddy this kharif season in 2025-26.
Singhdeo urged the union minister to intervene in this matter and direct the FCI to expedite the evacuation process.
Union food & public distribution secretary Sanjiv Chopra was present in the meeting.
Odisha chief minister Mohan Majhi earlier had, in a letter to union minister Joshi, appraised the issue.
BJP MPs Sangita Kumari Singhdeo, Malabika Devi, Pratap Sarangi, Bhatruhari Mehtab, Pradip Purohit, Sukanta Panigrahi, Anita Subhadarsini, Anant Charan Nayak, Bibhu Prasad Tarai, and Rabindra Narayan Behera were present during the discussion today.
