Digitization of paddy procurement from next year: Modi

Expressing unhappiness with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for delay in installing computers at the Primary Agriculture Credit Societies, he said that the state government might take up the job on its own from next year if the central lending agency failed to do so expeditiously.

The digitization of paddy procurement process would bring total transparency in purchase of primary foodgrain from farmers and do away with the role of middlemen by maintaining all records related to procurement, the deputy chief minister said.

He said that the state government decided to computerize paddy procurement process after finding out about digitization in other states.

Modi said that the state government has targetted 30 tonne paddy procurement during the ongoing Kharif season from November 15, 2012, to April 15, 2013 of which the PACSes will procure 22 lakh tonne and the remainder by the State Food Corporation.

He said that the rice mills have been tagged with the PACSes and SFC for milling of rice from paddy procured by the state agencies so that the Food Corporation of India could purchase the rice at the earliest.

Adequate storage capacity was being made to store the paddy procured from farmers on payment by cheque at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) fixed by the Centre, he said.