Agristack Protest: Are Odisha’s Farmers Moving Away From the BJP?

Sunil Jena, Editor In Chief, The Politics Odia

Bhubaneswar: A new political and agricultural controversy is building up in Odisha over the registration process under Agristack. Farmers and farmer organisations in several parts of western Odisha have started opposing the process, with concerns growing over whether a complicated registration system could eventually affect their ability to sell paddy.

The issue has become particularly visible in Bargarh, one of Odisha’s major agricultural districts. Farmers opposing the Agristack registration process reportedly surrounded the office of the Superintendent of Police, raising concerns over the difficulties they are facing during registration.

For many farmers, the central concern is simple: if registration becomes a complicated digital and documentation exercise, will every eligible farmer be able to complete it on time?

Farmers’ organisations argue that the system must not become a barrier between farmers and the government procurement process. They are demanding that the registration procedure be simplified so that no farmer is prevented from selling his or her paddy merely because of procedural difficulties.

The controversy has now moved beyond an administrative issue and entered the political arena.

Former Odisha Cooperation Minister and senior BJD leader Sanjay Das Burma has sharply criticised the state government over the issue. He has alleged that this year’s paddy registration process started later than the previous year and questioned the impact of the new system on different categories of farmers.

Das Burma has also raised concerns about sharecroppers, small farmers and members of self-help groups. According to him, farmers who cultivate land without holding formal ownership documents could face difficulties while completing the registration process.

He has alleged that sharecroppers may be required to involve the landowner during registration, something he argues may not always be practically possible.

The BJD leader has also accused the government of making the process difficult for a large section of farmers and warned that the agitation could intensify.

The BJP, however, has rejected the allegations.

BJP state president Manmohan Samal said that the government is responsible for paddy registration and procurement and assured that all farmers would be able to sell their paddy. He also said that if genuine difficulties exist in the registration process, the government would consider simplifying the system.

The BJP has also highlighted the government’s paddy procurement record and the financial support being provided to farmers.

This political exchange has created a larger question for the Odisha government.

Agristack is being presented as part of a broader effort to create a digital agricultural ecosystem and improve the identification and delivery of services to farmers. But for a farmer standing in a village, the success of any digital system ultimately depends on one thing: whether it makes life easier or more difficult.

This is where the current protest becomes important.

A system designed to improve transparency cannot become a new source of exclusion.

If land records, ownership issues, tenancy arrangements or digital registration difficulties prevent genuine cultivators from accessing procurement facilities, the government will face a serious trust deficit among farmers.

The issue is particularly sensitive in western Odisha, where paddy procurement is closely connected with the rural economy.

The BJP government came to power promising to strengthen farmers’ interests and provide better support to the agricultural sector. The current Agristack controversy therefore has a political dimension as well.

The question is not simply whether Agristack is good or bad.

The real question is whether its implementation is accessible to every farmer.

Can an elderly farmer complete the process without repeated visits to government offices?

Can a sharecropper register without facing unnecessary complications?

Can a small farmer with limited digital access complete the process independently?

And most importantly, can the government guarantee that no genuine farmer will lose the opportunity to sell legally produced paddy because of a technical or documentation problem?

These questions need clear answers.

For the opposition, the protests provide an opportunity to challenge the BJP government’s claims of being farmer-friendly. For the government, the immediate challenge is to remove genuine bottlenecks before they turn into a larger farmers’ movement.

The coming weeks could therefore be politically significant.

If the registration process is simplified and farmers are able to complete it without major difficulties, the government may be able to contain the controversy.

But if more farmer organisations join the protest and concerns spread across western Odisha, Agristack could become a larger political issue for the BJP government.

At the heart of the controversy is one simple principle: technology should serve the farmer, not become another obstacle for the farmer.

Sunil Jena’s Observation:

The Agristack debate should not be reduced to BJP versus BJD politics. The government has a responsibility to ensure that digital registration does not exclude genuine cultivators, particularly sharecroppers and small farmers. At the same time, political allegations need to be backed by facts. The real test will be whether every eligible farmer can register easily and sell paddy without unnecessary procedural barriers.

Author Profile

Sunil Jena: Sunil Jena is the Editor of The Politics Odia, an independent digital platform that delivers fearless political analysis, ground reports, and investigative stories from Odisha. Known for bold storytelling and grassroots connections, Sunil is shaping a new era of regional journalism.

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