UP Government purchases 6853 MT of Paddy from farmers

Lucknow: The state government has procured 6853 Metric Tonne (MT) of paddy at MSP from more than 7163 farmers till now in the 27 days of the commencement of 2021-22 Kharif marketing season.

Addressing a high-level meeting with the officials on Wednesday, Chief Minister gave instructions, "It should be ensured that the system remains smooth at all the paddy purchasing centres. The District Magistrate himself should inspect the purchasing centers. Nodal officers should be active in the districts. There should be no delay in payment to the farmers."

Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, Saurabh Babu informed that the process of paddy procurement was being conducted smoothly in the state. "The agencies have so far procured 6853 MT of paddy worth Rs 69.75 Crore from farmers," he told. He also assured that proper arrangements have been made to protect the crop from any unfavourable weather conditions. On the lines of wheat purchase, the procurement is being done through the PFMS portal.

Around 3173 centres have been set up by the department across that state for the purchase of paddy. To ensure smooth and hassle-free procurement of paddy during the current Kharif marketing season (KMS) that commenced on Oct 1, the purchase centres have been set up near the fields of the farmers.

After achieving the target of 66 lakh MT in the last Kharif season successfully, the food and civil supplies department, the nodal agency for the procurement operations, is targeting a new record this season by purchasing 70 lakh MT of paddy in the current KMS.

This season the paddy is being purchased at an increased MSP which has been fixed- Rs 1,940 per quintal for common paddy and Rs 1,960 per quintal of Grade A paddy.

The centres are geo-tagged with the help of the Remote Sensing Application Centre (RSAC).

Paddy is procured at minimum support price (MSP) directly from farmers by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) along with other agencies in the state. With heavy rains in October and unfavorable weather conditions, paddy harvesting is slow in the state.

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