In a fix over heavy surplus of rice, Chhattisgarh urges Centre to buy more

The Chhattisgarh government has urged the Union government to enhance its contribution to the central rice pool over the state's surplus produce against the target set for the 2018-19 kharif season. 

The paddy flow in government societies increased last month after the Congress government came to power. The party had promised to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 2,500 a quintal if voted to power. 

The state government has been procuring paddy at the MSP through the primary cooperative societies. Following heavy flow, the procurement target has been revised for the season. Compared to the target of 7.5 mt, the government will now procure 8.8 mt. 

Chhattisgarh requires about 700,000 tonnes of rice under the public distribution system. The Centre had set a target of procuring 2.4 mt of rice from the state. The Congress government is in a fix over how to store and use rice that would be left over. 

After taking over as the chief minister last month, Bhupesh Baghel wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to increase the share of procurement. The Centre reportedly refused to purchase more rice from Chhattisgarh, which is among the five leading rice contributors in the country.