Former chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged that there has been a “total systemic failure” in the state’s ongoing kharif paddy procurement program at state-run mandis.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the inauguration of paddy collection system at Kendujhar on December 26 (@CMO_Odisha X)In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Patnaik alleged that the current procurement season has been marked by “deep struggle” for the farming community, and blamed the crisis on administrative negligence and the failure of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government to fulfill its 2024 election promises.
“At the heart of farmers’ grievances is the continued practice of ‘Katni Chatni’ – arbitrary and illegal deductions from agricultural produce at procurement centres. During the 2024 elections, you made firm promises to the farming community about increased MSP and an end to Katni-Chatni. However, tell the true story across Patna. said in his letter.
He complains that 5-7 kg per quintal or more is being dropped on dubious pretexts including excess moisture or poor grain quality. “In many districts, this exploitation is happening in broad daylight, often with the alleged connivance of millers and local officials, forcing farmers into a ‘reciprocal agreement’ that robs them of their hard-earned income,” he said, promising when the practice would be scrapped.
He also flagged the state government’s decision to limit input subsidies ₹800 quintals to 150 quintals per farmer, saying this is a clear breach of trust that penalizes high-yielding growers and violates election promises.
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Highlighting the operational hurdles in storage, Patnaik pointed to the slow paddy lifting that forced farmers to guard their crop stocks overnight during severe winter conditions to prevent theft or spoilage.
“Lack of basic facilities, failure of the token system, and delays in payments, which were promised within 48 hours through DBT but took weeks in many cases, pushed farmers to the brink of agitation,” he said in the letter.
This delay, coupled with arbitrary deductions, is forcing indebted farmers to sell to private traders and millers at significantly lower rates than the government MSP, alleged Patnaik.
Patnaik asked the Chief Minister to deploy special monitoring squads to eradicate ‘Katni Chatni’, remove the 150-quintal ceiling on input subsidy, ensure payment to farmers within 48 hours of collection through DBT and guarantee 100% paddy harvesting within 72 hours, especially open storage.
“Failure to address these grievances will leave the farming community with no option but to intensify their protests across the state. I hope your government rises above rhetoric and fulfills its promise to the farmers of Odisha,” Patnaik wrote.
Officials say the problem stems from the state’s dramatic agricultural expansion since 2000. Of the 19.7 million tonnes cut, state agencies can procure about 9.2 million tonnes at the minimum support price. ₹2,300 per quintal (plus ₹800 state bonus), leaving about 10 million tonnes which farmers must sell in the open market at significantly lower prices. The fundamental constraint is storage capacity – the state lacks storage facilities for rice produced from harvested paddy.
