Opposition should refrain from politics: Manmohan Samal

Bhubaneswar: State BJP president Manmohan Samal on Thursday said the opposition should refrain from “playing politics” over paddy procurement, asserting that the process is transparent and farmers are receiving fair prices under the BJP govt.

Addressing a news conference, Samal said while price for paddy had increased from Rs 1,310 per quintal in 2014 to Rs 3,100 per quintal now, Odisha has moved up in rice production ranking from 19th to 2nd position over the years.


Samal said the state has procured about 92 lakh metric tonnes of rice from 16.6 lakh farmers in 2024-25 (kharif and rabi combined), amounting to around Rs 27,000 crore. In comparison, he said, about 58 lakh MT of rice worth Rs 13,000 crore was procured in 2023-24. He claimed that rice procurement has “nearly doubled” after the BJP came to power in Odisha.

He said procurement has crossed 90-95% in most districts and will continue as long as farmers bring their stocks. Senior BJP leaders, including the chief minister, ministers and MLAs, are monitoring procurement at mandis, he added. Samal accused BJD and Congress of misleading people on the issue, saying the govt is ready to respond to all questions in the assembly.