Bhubaneswar, May 16 (IANS): With paddy procurement up by 21 percent during kharif 2014-15, Odisha has set a target of procuring 36 lakh tonnes of rice this year from the 30 lakh tonnes, an official said on Saturday.

Paddy procurement during kharif 2014-15 grew by 21 percent over last year, with a total procurement of around 40 lakh tonnes.

"So far, the state government has procured 40 lakh tonnes of paddy that is equivalent to 27.16 lakh tonnes of rice. Since the procurement has grown up by 21 percent against last year, we have decided to procure paddy equivalent to 36 lakh tonnes of rice in this year," said food supply and consumer welfare secretary Madhusudan Padhi.

The paddy procurement includes for both kharif and rabi seasons.

This was decided at the state-level paddy procurement committee meeting held under the chairmanship of chief secretary G.C. Pati on Saturday.

The procurement for rabi season was started on May 15 and will continue till June 30, said Padhi.

He said district collectors have been asked to expedite the procurement process to achieve the target by June 30.

The minimum support price for paddy (Rs.1,360 per quintal) will remain unchanged for this rabi season also.

Padhi said the new farmers can also register their names to sell their paddy during the procurement process.

Sources said 7,82,917 farmers for kharif and 1,55,493 farmers for rabi have been registered through online registration system.