Former chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged that there has been a “complete systemic failure” in the state’s ongoing Kharif paddy procurement operations at state-run mandis.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the inauguration of the paddy procurement system in 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 “profound struggle” for the farmer community, and attributed the crisis to administrative negligence and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government’s failure to honour its 2024 poll promises.

“At the heart of farmer grievances lies the continued prevalence of ‘katni chhatni’ — arbitrary and illegal deductions from agricultural produce at procurement centres. During the 2024 elections, you made solemn commitments to the farming community regarding enhanced MSP and stopping of Katni-Chhatni. However, the ground reality across Mandis tells a story of betrayal,” Patnaik said in his letter.

He alleged that deductions of 5-7 kg per quintal, or even higher, are being made under dubious pretexts including excess moisture content or inferior grain quality. “In many districts, this exploitation is happening in broad daylight, often with the alleged collusion of millers and local officials, forcing farmers into a ‘mutual agreement’ that robs them of their hard-earned income,” he said, asking when the practice would be eliminated as promised in the manifesto.

He also flagged the state government’s decision to cap an input subsidy of ₹800 per quanital at 150 quintals per farmer, saying it was a clear breach of trust that penalises high-yielding cultivators and violates electoral promises.

Highlighting operational bottlenecks at procurement sites, Patnaik pointed to sluggish paddy lifting that has left farmers guarding their harvested stock overnight in severe winter conditions to prevent theft or deterioration.

“The lack of basic facilities, the failure of the token system, and the delay in payment, which was promised within 48 hours through DBT but is taking weeks in many cases, have pushed the farmers to the brink of agitation,” he said in the letter.

These delays, coupled with arbitrary deductions, are compelling debt-ridden farmers into distress sales to private traders and millers at rates significantly below the official MSP, Patnaik alleged.

Patnaik asked the chief minister to deploy special monitoring squads to eliminate ‘katni chhatni’, remove 150-quintal ceiling on input subsidy, ensure farmer payments within 48 hours of procurement through DBT, and guaranteed 100% lifting of paddy, particularly stocks stored in the open, within 72 hours.

“Failure to address these grievances will leave the farming community with no choice but to intensify their protests across the state. I hope your government will rise above rhetoric and fulfill its promises to the farmers of Odisha,” Patnaik wrote.

Officials said the problem stems from the state’s dramatic agricultural expansion since 2000. Of the 19.7 million tonnes harvested, state agencies could procure only about 9.2 million tonnes at the Minimum Support Price of ₹2,300 per quintal (plus ₹800 state bonus), leaving approximately 10 million tonnes that farmers must sell in the open market at significantly lower prices. The fundamental constraint is storage capacity—the state lacks facilities to store the rice produced from procured paddy.