Bhubaneswar, August 30: The Odisha government has extended the deadline for farmers to register for paddy procurement by another seven days, providing additional time to those who have been unable to complete the process.

Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra announced the decision on Saturday.

The registration process for the sale of paddy began on August 6 and was earlier scheduled to close on August 31. However, with more than 17 lakh farmers having registered so far, the government has decided to extend the deadline.

Last year, around 19.67 lakh farmers registered for paddy procurement, and the government expects a similar number of registrations this year.

Minister Patra said farmers in some areas faced network-related problems while registering, causing difficulties in completing the process. He said the government has discussed the issue with the technical team and steps are being taken to address the glitches.

The government has assured farmers that network and other technical problems will be resolved soon, enabling them to complete their registrations within the extended deadline.