Finance
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi handed over Rs 833 crore directly to the bank accounts of over 41.49 lakh farmers and landless agricultural households on Friday as part of the fifth installment of the CM-KISAN initiative.
41,35,978 small and marginal farmers and 13,949 landless agricultural families received help through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) as part of a state-level program held at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here.
Beneficiaries are expected to use the financial aid to purchase seeds, fertilizer, and insecticides in preparation for the rabi crop season in 2026-27.
Majhi told the audience that the state government was dedicated to the well-being of farmers and landless families, and that the success of the farming community was critical to Odisha’s growth.
He stated that the CM-KISAN initiative aimed not only to provide cash help but also to promote farmer self-reliance, as well as to encourage associated livelihoods and technical education for children from agricultural households.
The Chief Minister stated that paddy registration for the upcoming 2026-27 kharif season has been extended to September 7. He also announced a Rs 1,000 crore aid package for farmers hit by the recent floods in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Sundargarh.
He stated that the payout would be based on damage assessment reports issued by Revenue and Agriculture department field personnel.
Majhi highlighted the government’s attempts to increase farm incomes, stating that paddy was procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal under the Samruddha Krushak Yojana, which combines the Centre’s minimum support price with state input assistance. Payments are credited to farmers’ accounts within 48 hours following procurement, he explained.
During the 2025-26 kharif season, the state purchased 77.48 lakh metric tons of paddy from 18.84 lakh farmers and provided Rs 5,663.84 crore in input assistance, while Rs 1,494.89 crore was distributed to 3.63 lakh farmers during the rabi season, according to Majhi.
He claimed that more than 60% of Odisha’s population depended on agriculture and that diversification into allied and other businesses, rather than reliance on conventional farming alone, was required to enhance agricultural income.
During the 2025-26 academic year, the Krushi Bidyanidhi Yojana awarded scholarships worth more than Rs 291.60 crore to 68,910 youngsters from farmer families for higher technical education, he stated.
The Chief Minister also advised farmers to register their land data in the Farmers Registry so that they can receive government incentives.
The government was focusing on animal husbandry, fisheries, and millet farming under the Shree Anna Abhiyan and the National Pulses Mission, he said. Odisha purchased 6.92 lakh quintals of millets last year at an MSP of Rs 4,886, and subsidies of up to Rs 1 crore are available through the Chief Minister’s Agriculture Industry Scheme, he added.
Majhi stated that approximately 92% of farmers in Odisha were small and marginal farmers, and advised them to make better use of government policies to increase their profits.
Regarding agricultural difficulties, he stated that climate change, irregular rainfall, water scarcity, and soil erosion posed severe hazards to farming. He stated that the state was supporting organic farming, millet growing, and regenerative agriculture.
The Chief Minister also stated that Odisha had considerable output of foodgrains, fruits, and vegetables this year, and that cotton grown in the state had earned a spot in the country’s recognized ‘Kasturi Cotton’ category.
Majhi criticized the previous government, claiming that the monthly income of an agricultural household in Odisha was only Rs 5,112 in 2022, making it the second lowest in the country at the time. He stated that the current government has set an objective of at least tripling farmer households’ annual income.
Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, stated that ministers and officials have visited flood-affected districts and conducted field inspections. He assured farmers that the assistance process would remain transparent and that no eligible beneficiary would be left out.
He said farmers affected by the floods would purchase vegetable mini-kits and submit the bills to the government, following which the eligible amount would be transferred through DBT. Singh Deo also said adequate fertiliser stocks were available in the state and urged farmers not to pay heed to misleading information.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said Odisha had become the first state in the country to include unseasonal rain, or ‘Adinia Barsha’, in the list of disasters. Government assistance was being provided to farmers whose crops had been damaged by such rainfall, he said.
Khordha MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadeb attended the programme as the guest of honour. Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Agriculture and Food Production Director Shubham Saxena, Horticulture Director Kalunge Gorakh Waman, OUAT Vice-Chancellor Dr Prabhat Kumar Roul and other senior officials were present.
More than 750 farmers took part in the state-level program, while identical events were held simultaneously in all 30 districts, and the event was livestreamed statewide.
Several CM-KISAN beneficiaries, including Shobha Majhi of Khordha and Jayakrushna Samantaray of Bolagarh, spoke about their experiences at the event.
