Bhubaneswar: Paddy cultivation in Odisha expanded to 39.42 lakh hectares in 2025-26 from 37.49 lakh hectares in 2024-25, an increase of 1.93 lakh hectares, deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo told the assembly here on Wednesday.Singh Deo said district-wise figures showed a rise in acreage in several major paddy-growing regions. Mayurbhanj reported the largest area under paddy at 3.41 lakh hectares, followed by Ganjam at 2.87 lakh hectares, Sundargarh at 2.45 lakh hectares, Bargarh at 2.43 lakh hectares and Kalahandi at 2.36 lakh hectares.The highest increase was recorded in Sundargarh, where the area under paddy increased by 0.6 lakh hectares. Kalahandi added 0.43 lakh hectares, Keonjhar 0.4 lakh hectares, Mayurbhanj 0.36 lakh hectares and Balangir 0.32 lakh hectares. Other districts, including Bargarh, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Nuapada and Nayagarh, also showed an increase in coverage.Some districts, however, registered a decline. Angul recorded the sharpest fall, with acreage dropping from 1.18 lakh hectares in 2024-25 to 0.90 lakh hectares in 2025-26. Khurda, Puri, Rayagada and Gajapati also reported lower coverage compared with the previous year.For the ongoing 2026-27 kharif season, the first advance estimate placed paddy cultivation at 36.18 lakh hectares as of Sept 19. Singh Deo said the final figure could rise after the cropping season gets over.Cooperation minister Pradeep Bal Samanta told the assembly that farmer registrations for paddy procurement have increased by more than 2.59 lakh in the 2026-27 kharif marketing season compared to last year, indicating wider participation in the state’s procurement network ahead of harvest.Most districts recorded higher enrolment. Jagatsinghpur registered the steepest rise, with farmer registrations increasing 23% to 61,269 from 49,685. Significant increases were also reported in Kandhamal, Balangir, Ganjam and Angul.Bargarh, one of Odisha’s major paddy-producing districts, recorded 1.85 lakh registered farmers, up 13% from 1.63 lakh. Ganjam’s registrations rose to 1.82 lakh from 1.56 lakh, while Balangir increased to 1.23 lakh from 1.05 lakh.Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Kalahandi reported 13% growth, Jharsuguda 12% and Gajapati 8%. Bhadrak and Balasore saw marginal declines. “More than 22.27 lakh farmers registered for paddy procurement this year, an increase of 13% over last year. Due to floods, 301 farmers from Balasore and 1,480 from Bhadrak district could not register for paddy procurement this year,” the minister said.
