Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi and others during the CM-KISAN Rabi 2026-27 fifth instalment assistance distribution programme at Krushi Shiksha Sadan OUAT
Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami and Odisha’s agriculture-based festival Nuakhai, the Odisha Government has extended major financial assistance to farmers under the CM-KISAN scheme.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on September 4 released the fifth instalment of CM-KISAN assistance by directly transferring the funds to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The state-level programme was held at the Krushi Shiksha Sadan on the campus of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar.
Under the latest instalment, financial assistance of over Rs 833 crore was transferred to 41,35,978 small and marginal farmers and 13,949 landless agricultural households. The assistance is intended to help farmers procure essential agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, ahead of the Rabi season 2026-27.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Majhi reiterated his government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers and landless agricultural families. He said the prosperity of farmers is the real foundation of Odisha’s progress.
The Chief Minister said CM-KISAN is not merely a financial assistance scheme but an initiative aimed at making farmers self-reliant and ensuring due recognition for their hard work. The scheme, he said, provides support at various levels, ranging from the procurement of agricultural inputs and allied livelihood activities to ensuring access to quality technical education for children of farmer families.
Chief Minister Majhi announced that the deadline for paddy registration for the Kharif season 2026-27 has been extended to September 7.
He also announced a special assistance package of Rs 1,000 crore for farmers affected by the recent floods in several districts, including Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Sundargarh.
He said compensation would be provided to affected farmers at the earliest based on damage assessments carried out by field-level officials of the Revenue and Agriculture departments.
The Chief Minister said more than 60 per cent of Odisha’s population depends on agriculture, and doubling the annual income of farmers at least twofold remains one of the government’s key objectives.
He stressed the importance of agricultural diversification to increase farmers’ incomes instead of relying solely on traditional farming practices.
Under the Samrudha Krushak Yojana, farmers are being paid Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, combining the Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced by the Union Government with input assistance provided by the state government. Payments are being transferred to farmers’ bank accounts within 48 hours of paddy procurement.
According to the Chief Minister, during the Kharif season 2025-26, paddy procurement was carried out from 18.84 lakh farmers, with 77.48 lakh metric tonnes of paddy procured. A record Rs 5,663.84 crore was paid as input subsidy. Similarly, Rs 1,494.89 crore was provided to 3.63 lakh farmers during the Rabi season.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the Krushi Vidya Nidhi Yojana, which provides financial assistance for higher technical education to children of farmer families. He said that during the academic year 2025-26, more than 68,910 beneficiaries received scholarships amounting to over Rs 291.60 crore.
Majhi urged farmers to register themselves on the Farmers’ Registry along with their land-related information to avail themselves of the benefits of various government schemes.
The government is also focusing on allied agricultural activities, including livestock farming, fisheries, the Shree Anna campaign and the National Pulses Mission, the Chief Minister said. He informed that the state procured 6.92 lakh quintals of ragi (mandia) last year at an MSP of Rs 4,886 per quintal. Under the Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyog Yojana, farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs are eligible for subsidies of up to Rs 1 crore, he added.
Chief Minister Majhi said Odisha has made significant progress in the agricultural sector, but climate change, erratic weather, water scarcity and soil degradation continue to pose serious challenges. To address these concerns, the state is promoting organic farming, millet cultivation and regenerative agriculture. He said Odisha recorded record production of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables this year. He also noted that cotton produced in Odisha has received recognition for the country’s prestigious ‘Kasturi Cotton’ brand. The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the state’s farmers for their contribution to the progress of the agricultural sector.
Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said ministers and senior officials have personally visited flood-affected areas to assess the situation. He assured that the government would provide assistance to affected farmers while ensuring transparency throughout the process.
He said affected farmers could purchase vegetable mini-kits and submit the bills to the government, following which the prescribed amount would be transferred to their bank accounts through DBT. He also appealed to farmers not to believe misinformation regarding fertiliser availability, stating that adequate stocks of fertilisers are available across the state.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the Odisha Government, following the Chief Minister’s direction, has officially included ‘untimely rainfall’ in the list of disasters. He said farmers affected by untimely rainfall in different areas are being provided government assistance.
Pujari reiterated the government’s commitment to improving the economic condition of farmers and creating a favourable agricultural environment equipped with modern technology.
Among those present at the programme were Khordha MLA and District Planning Board Chairman Prashant Kumar Jagdev, Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Yadav, Director of Agriculture and Food Production Shubham Saxena, Director of Horticulture Kalunge Gorkh Vaman, and OUAT Vice-Chancellor Dr Prabhat Kumar Routray, along with senior officials of the department. More than 750 farmers participated in person in the state-level programme. Several beneficiaries of the CM-KISAN scheme also shared their experiences with the Chief Minister.
The programme was live-streamed across all 30 districts, where district-level events were organised in the presence of ministers, MPs, MLAs, elected representatives, district collectors, Agriculture Department officials and farmers.
Concluding his address, Chief Minister Majhi extended advance greetings to all farmers of Odisha on the upcoming agriculture-based festival Nuakhai.
