Chhattisgarh procures 6.84 MT of paddy, set to achieve Kharif season target

Paddy procurement in the state started on December 1 and would continue till February 15

Chhattisgarh government has procured over 6.84 million tonnes (MT) of paddy as against the target of 8.5 MT set for the 2019-20 kharif marketing season.

Paddy procurement in the state started on December 1 and will continue till February 15. Chhattisgarh is among the few states in the country that purchase paddy from the farmers paying minimum support price (MSP) for the yield.

The state government announced that it would pay bonus to farmers later to ensure that they got Rs 2500 for a quintal of their yield. The process will result in the flow of liquidity in the rural economy.

Food department officials informed that as of now, Rs 11,973 crore had been paid directly to the farmers against the paddy purchased. The money had been transferred to the farmers' bank accounts.

In all, 1,952,736 farmers had registered in the societies to sell their yield in the Kharif marketing year 2019-20. The number is 256,000 more than those registered in the previous season. Of the registered farmers, 1.6 million had sold paddy in the societies. Among them, 1.3 million are small and marginal farmers.

The number of farmers selling their produce has already surpassed the previous year’s figure. 

The authorities kept a close vigil on the borders as paddy flow from the neighbouring states was feared following high price for the yield in Chhattisgarh. As of now, 4280 cases of illegal transportation of paddy have been registered and 45,930 tonnes of paddy seized.