The Odisha government has decided to commence procurement of paddy from farmers for the kharif season 2024 from the third week of November, a minister said on Tuesday. The procurement will start from Bargarh district, he said. The decision was taken during a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee, held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Monday. This will be the first procurement season after the BJP came to power in the state this year. "The BJP government is committed to fulfilling its promise to buy paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal. An additional input subsidy of Rs 800 per quintal of the crop will be given to farmers over and above the minimum support price of Rs 2,300 fixed by the Centre," said Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, who was present at the meeting. During the meeting, modalities to be adopted at the mandi (marketing yard) level were finalised to make the entire procurement hassle-free for farmers, he said. It was also decided in the