Govt agencies open 1,392 paddy purchase centres

With a view to ensuring minimum support price (MSP) for paddy, government agencies have opened 1,392 purchase centres -- 1,230 by the AP State Civil Supplies Corporation and IKP and 168 centres by the Food Corporation of India.

During this rabi season, as on June 4, 2011, a quantity of 1.35 million tonne of paddy has been purchased by the state agencies, as compared with 244,964 tonne procured on the corresponding day last year.

Similarly, the FCI has also procured 193,799 tonne paddy during this rabi season, as compared with 113,764 tonne procured on the corresponding day last year.

The total quantity of paddy so far procured by the government agencies is 1.54 million tonne as against 358,728 tonne purchased on the corresponding day last year.

In a press release on Saturday, Harpreet Singh, commissioner of civil supplies, said all arrangements had been made to procure paddy through the season at the MSP.

“Already 33.84 million gunnies have been utilised for the purchase of paddy. About 9.21 million gunnies are available in the districts. More gunnies are in the pipeline and there is no dearth of bags for procuring paddy offered by the farmers at the MSP,” he said.

Singh said farmers could offer their paddy at the purchase centres to obtain the MSP of Rs 1,030 per quintal for Grade-A and '1,000 per quintal for the common variety.